Here is my recipe for Muhammara (see previous post for backstory). I served it again last night at a cocktail party and it was a hit. What I really love about it is that it qualifies as a super food, every ingredient offering life enhancing properties. I also give the nutrition stats at the end, though they were calculated using the recipe from Epicurius which is close enough. This shows what a healthy food it truly is. The rich smoky flavor makes it taste so decadent, I needed proof, and thought you might too. The same site did say that to burn off the 160 calories in a serving you will need to shoot hoops or paint a fence for 33 minutes, so that's something to keep in mind. Since I love Muhammara so much I guess it's a not such a bad thing that my back yard fence is in dire need of attention. Seriously, you could have this dip with fresh syrian bread and sliced cucumbers as it is traditionally eaten, and you've got a wonderful meal. Perfect for a picnic.
But Muhammara doesn't have to be limited to a dip. It would make an excellent sauce with kebabs, as it would a sandwich spread in place of mayo, and I'm thinking about tossing it with pasta...
The last three ingredients listed are additions of my own that are not traditional and not necessary. Other additions that are sometimes used depending on the region of origin, that you can play with are; honey, pine nuts, tomato paste and yogurt. The one ingeredient you don't want to play with is the pomegranate molasses. Surprisingly inexpensive, considering it is concentrated pomegranate juice. You shouldn't have any trouble finding it in a good food market.
Ingredients:
2 roasted red peppers
1/4 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 shake crushed red pepper flakes, Aleppo if you can find (more if you like heat)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
chopped fresh parsley and cilantro
tumeric
Toss all into blender and puree for just a couple of minutes.
Should be chunky but not too stiff. Add a bit more oil if needed.
Make a day ahead when possible as the flavor actually improves!
Nutrition Facts on Muhammara (Epicurious' recipe) provided by LIVESTRONG.COM
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving :
Calories 160, Calories from Fat 17
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1.91g 3%
Saturated Fat 0.21g 1%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.36g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.21g
Sodium 16.49mg 1%
Potassium 338.56mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 10%
Dietary Fiber 2.38g 10%
Sugars 4.29g
Protein 5.95g 12%
Vitamin A 0.01
Vitamin C 41.71
Calcium 140.68
Iron 8.29
Vitamin E 0.3
Thiamin (B1) 0.18
Riboflavin (B2) 0.09
Niacin (B3) 0.61
Vitamin B6 47.87
Phosphorus 138.62
Magnesium 28.65
Panthothenic Acid 0.49
Zinc 7.2
Manganese 1.49
Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 10.7% Carbs 77.5% Protein 14.9%
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Had a great question come in about what is one serving, and had to go look it up. 2 tablespoons.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great recipe! Reminds me of one of my favorites which can also be a dip, a spread, go into stuffings... pretty much anything! And, you can roast double carrots, serve a bunch at one meal and use the rest for this dip/spread.
ReplyDeleteMorocc'n'roll Oven-Roasted Carrot Spread (from "The Passionate Vegetarian" by Crescent Dragonwagon - which by the way is a very good (though huge) cookbook)
Oil or Cooking Spray
1 lb carrots, unpeeled, stem end left on
1 large red onion, unpeeled, quartered (honestly I leave that out since I'm not an onion lover)
1 head garlic, unpeeled, cut in half crosswise
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tamary or shoyu soy sauce, plus more to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
Pinch of cayenne
1 to 4 tbsp veg. stock, water, carrot juice or add'l olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Oil or spray a baking dish large enough to accommodate all veg in a single layer
3. Bring large pot of water to boil. Blanch carrots for 4 min. (long skinny carrots) or 5-6 min. for fatter ones
4. Put carrots, onion, garlic into baking pan, toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil, rub oil into veg a bit. Drizzle with tamari and toss again. Arrange so all are cut-side down
5. Bake until the carrots are soft (easily pierced) and quite brown here and there -- about 40 minutes, longer if the carrots are plump. Let cool.
6. Cut stem ends from carrots, remove papery skin from onion. Put carrots & onion into food processor. Squeeze garlic out of skin into food processor -- discard any that are still hard or dark brown. Add spices (I often substitute or add some garam masala too) along with 1 tbsp oil & pulse. Mix will still be a bit dry & chunky. Add stock or other liquid & pulse until smooth. Season to taste with add'l tamari, salt, pepper, whatever.
7. Let spread mellow, covered & refrigerated overnight or up to 3 days to blend flavors. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serve with crudites, pita chips or on sandwiches.
Sounds wonderful, thank you! Wil try it soon.
ReplyDelete