It’s been a while since my last post! Once the semester ended, I fell into complete and utter summer mode. I lounged, I ate junk food, and I went on a road trip to Mount Rushmore (and ate more junk food). Needless to say, I am ready to get back to cooking my own food and being somewhat productive.

One of my biggest summer cravings is Middle Eastern food. I think this stems from summer parties at my in-law’s house outside of Los Angeles. We used to go up to my husband’s parent’s house on weekends, and we would eat authentic Armenian and Middle Eastern cuisine. While living in Denver does offer a lot of great cuisine, it is lacking in Middle Eastern food.

One of my all-time favorite foods was introduced to me by my father-in-law. He took me to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on a dirty part of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. He handed me a bowl of deep blood-red dip (which freaked me out as a vegetarian!).  Timidly, I lathered it on a pita and took a bite.  It was heaven!  This divine dip turned out to be Muhammara, a Syrian and Turkish delicacy made using peppers and crushed walnuts.

Muhammara is widely known to originate in Aleppo, Syria.  Aleppo, which is located on the border of Turkey, has long been known to be a prime location for the Middle Eastern trade route.  The idea of trading between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East lends to the complex flavors of this sweet-and-sour dish.

Turkish Muhammara Dip

(adapted from The New York Times)

• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 green onions
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (found at a Halal market)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup toasted walnuts
• 4 tablespoons bread crumbs

First, char the red bell pepper.  You can either do this by holding it over the flame on a gas range or a barbecue, or you can roast it in your oven at 400 degrees until the skin is charred and blackened.  Once the skin is charred, let the pepper cool enough to handle.  Peel off the skin and deseed.

Place the roasted pepper, chopped green onions, juice of the lemon, coriander seeds, cayenne pepper, salt, pomegranate molasses, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and walnuts in a food processor.  Puree until almost smooth.  The texture of this dish can vary greatly, so puree until it looks almost done to you.

Add the breadcrumbs and pulse until mixed.  Pour the dip unto a bowl, and season to taste.  You can top with more red pepper flakes, a drizzle of olive oil, or additional crushed walnuts.  Serve with warmed pita.

While this dish did not come out like the authentic Muhammara I was trying for, the dip is still very good.  The color is not as dark red as the original, but the layers of flavor are present, and the overall Middle Eastern flavor is there.  This dip can be addictive, so make sure you have plenty of pita to share!