Muhammara

Ingredients

• 4 large red bell peppers
• 150g walnut halves
• 60g fine dried breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• A small handful of extra walnuts, to finish
• Warm flatbread, to serve

Before you cook

• Halve the red peppers lengthways and pull out the seeds and pale ribs
• Line a large baking tray with foil
• Chop a small handful of walnuts roughly and set them aside for the garnish

Steps

1. Heat your oven to 240C, or as high as it will go.
2. Lay the pepper halves cut side down on the lined tray.
3. Roast the peppers for 25 minutes, until the skins are blistered and blackened in patches.
4. Tip the hot peppers into a bowl and cover it with a plate for 10 minutes, so the trapped steam loosens the skins.
5. Toast the 150g of walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 4 minutes, shaking the pan often, then tip them onto a plate to cool.
6. Peel the loosened skin from the peppers and discard it, along with any liquid pooled in the bowl.
7. Put the peeled peppers, cooled walnuts, breadcrumbs, pomegranate molasses, garlic, Aleppo pepper, cumin, lemon juice and salt into a food processor.
8. Pulse in short bursts until you have a coarse paste with visible flecks of walnut, stopping well before it turns smooth.
9. Pour in 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and pulse twice more to bring it together.
10. Taste, and add more salt, lemon or pomegranate molasses until sweet, sour and savoury are in balance.
11. Chill the muhammara for at least 30 minutes so the breadcrumbs swell and the flavours settle.
12. Spread it across a plate, hollow a swirl with the back of a spoon, pour the last tablespoon of olive oil into the groove and scatter over the reserved chopped walnuts.