August 12th, 2009 
duodishes 
There are times when you need something that can be made in a pinch. Takes less than 5 minutes? Great. One dirty dish? Perfect. Transfers well cold or at room temp? The best. Although we threw this one together over a month ago, we recently remade it and figured it was worth sharing. There’s a little place called the Hollywood Bowl here in Los Angeles, and Adele headlined a show at the magical outdoor venue. The other two guests on the bill included Janelle Monae and Chaka Kahn. A night of divas indeed! Other than the fact that you can see some of the biggest names in entertainment at the Bowl, another fun factor is the opportunity to picnic in the fresh air. We needed something fast and easy to whip up for the evening’s meal and music. Having been charged with bringing cheese, crackers, veggies and dip, we were on a mission to do something other than the typical ranch or blue cheese. It’s now on the list of dips to make when we’re in a pinch!
The craving for a sweet pepper and nut dip originated after having a harissa-inspired sauce using almonds and roasted peppers. It was absolutely the best thing in the universe. We had roasted peppers and walnuts, so we poked around for ways to make a dip with the supplies on hand. We stumbled across a version of the Middle Eastern muhammara, and away we went. Pull out your crudité, pitas, grilled chicken, pasta, whatever! Spread this stuff on there, and tell us your world hasn’t been rocked.
Muhammara – Serves 8 (adapted from Ellie Kreiger)
18 ounces roasted red and yellow peppers, drained
3/4 cup walnut halves, toasted
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
1. Put garlic and walnuts in a food processor and blend until crumbly. Add roasted peppers and bread crumbs and blend until mixture forms a paste.
2. Add spices, lemon zest and juice and pomegranate molasses and blend until incorporated.
3. Drizzle in olive oil until smooth, adding more if necessary to reach desired consistency. Salt to taste.
Click HERE for the printable recipe.
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Aounds and looks marvelous-I’m a big fan of pomegranate molasses.
I love Muhammara and yours looks excellent, Duo! Such a yummy, versatile spread. Love it!
p.s. – I cast my vote! Good luck!!
This looks wonderful. Muhammara is one of my favorite dips.
That looks like an excellent little plate. I love things like that when I’m out at a restaurant because I’m more of a grazer, but never think to make them at home. Thanks for the inspiration.
i’m always eager to try something that i can hardly pronounce!
Sounds absolutely fantastic.. I wonder if pomegranate molasses is somthing I can find in the market. Dont remember ever seeing it. Love the color on the dip!
Ooh… that recipe looks so interesting. I’ve made one with roasted red peppers and almonds. I may have to try this one too!
Sounds really flavorful! And any meal with less dishes and added heat is good for me in the summer!
Fantastic! Simple easy.
I wanted to go to that show, but I didn’t get tickets in time.
Delicious, fresh and flavorful! It also goes well with seafood.
Great idea for a picnic, and sounds like a great night!
Looks delicious and such a great new alternative to the usual hummus or cheese dressing. Sounds like a fun event, I love those music/food/picnic outings. That was my regular summer weekend Sunday jaunt in SF at Stern Grove!
Good music + Food = Pure Bliss!!
oooohh, I love this dip, so tasty, so good!
That pic makes me want to be healthier and being healthy in a pinch ain’t always easy.
AAAAH!!! I have wanted to make Muhamarra for like a year, but I could never seem to track down pomegranate molasses!! Where oh where did you procure it???
I’ve never had a dip like this. It sounds so delicious!
I love Ellie Kreiger. I just got her book, will definitely have to try that one. It looks like a great alternative to hummus
sound delish!!
I have a lot of those “quick fix” moments! This dip looks really interesting and love to have a “dip” at it!
I love this quick dish. How fun to take it to a concert!
I love Chaka Kahn!!
My old time and favorite dips ever.
Well this is a new one for me – I will have to give it a try some time just so I know what it is all about!
SO jealous that you saw Adele! LOVE her! And I LOVE this dip!
I’ve never even heard of pomegranate molasses – sounds interesting!
My go-to dip is definitely hummus. Spicy hummus, at that. I could eat it by the bucketful.
K
Sounds like a must-try, one-dish wonder!!
This sounds like great picnic fair AND you got to see Adele. Awesome.
I have a ton of sweet peppers in the garden and I was thinking about slow roasting them and jarring them in oil. Of course I need awesome suggestions of what to do with them and as usual you have one
This dip sounds awesome, I don’t think I’ve ever had it, so can’t wait to try!
Oh I need to try this dip! very yummy for my palate …positively flavorful
Cheers!
Gera
I have a bunch of muhammara recipes tagged to make–now I am really craving it. It looks so good!
[...] An extreme makeover, if you will. We just showed you one of our new favorite dips–muhammara. It has a very distinct nutty flavor with just a hint of back end heat. We doubt that [...]
Muhammara is really good! You can’t go wrong with roasted red peppers.
I don’t know how I could keep from eating all of this with a large spoon before I could break out the pita! Now I’m off to see how you’ve used this in pasta. 8-D
you probably know i am a big Ellie fan, but I have never made this one. I’ll have to put it on the short list.
Coming late to this post but OMG I so making this, just need to get me some peppers and I’m there.
[...] it. I had one of those drop-everything moments this weekend when I read The Duo Dishes post about Muhammara. Er, moo who? Drop everything and take a [...]
[...] use ingredients. (There’s still a full bottle of pomegranate molasses in the fridge from a late summer recipe, but it will be used again very soon! Just you wait and see.) We like to either choose dishes with [...]
[...] use ingredients. (There’s still a full bottle of pomegranate molasses in the fridge from a late summer recipe, but it will be used again very soon! Just you wait and see.) We like to either choose dishes with [...]
[...] An extreme makeover, if you will. We just showed you one of our new favorite dips–muhammara. It has a very distinct nutty flavor with just a hint of back end heat. We doubt that [...]