Muhammara - Red Pepper and Walnut Spread – Gluten-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 1
   Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet.

   Baking pan
2. 2
   Roast the peppers whole in a hot oven (220°C / 430°F) 25 minutes, turning, until the skin is blackened and the flesh completely soft.

   ⚙ Oven roastingOvenBakeware

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.
3. 3
   Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly and leave 10 minutes.

   Bowl

   💡The steam in the covered container separates the skin from the flesh, so it comes off easily. Don't rinse under water: the smoky flavor washes away with it.
4. 4
   Peel off the charred skin, remove the stem and seeds from the peppers and drain off the liquid.

   Colander

To assemble

1. 5
   Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat 3–4 minutes, stirring, until they turn lightly golden and fragrant.

   ⚙ Dry-Pan ToastingStoveFrying pan

   💡Toast over medium heat and keep things moving: nuts, pine nuts and spices go from toasted to burnt in seconds. Transfer to a plate right away, since the hot pan keeps toasting.
2. 6
   Grind the roasted vegetables in a food processor with the walnuts, garlic, bread, tomato paste, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, chili and sugar, to a coarse spread, not completely smooth, and season with salt.

   ⚙ Grinding in a Food ProcessorFood processor

   💡The gluten-free breadcrumbs and nuts thicken the spread. If it comes out thin, add another tablespoon of crumbs and grind again.

   💡Grind in pulses and stop while small lumps remain: good muhammara is coarse, not a cream.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
3. 7
   Serve at room temperature with a little olive oil on top.