Amelia Christie Miller says please stop eating hummus. With walnuts, roasted red peppers, spices, and pomegranate molasses, this classic Levantine dip has a sweet, earthy, nutty flavor that you’ll want to eat with or over anything. This version is stir-fried with chickpeas, but you can also eat it on pitta bread with lettuce and tomatoes. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Ingredients: For 4 people
- 700g jar of chickpeas or 2 400g cans of chickpeas, drained and washed
for muhammara
- 50g walnuts (or almonds or hazelnuts), plus extra
- 1 slice of crusty white bread or your favorite bread (coarsely chopped)
- 3 red bell peppers (from a jar if you want to make them quickly, or fresh if you want to grill them yourself)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, dried chili flakes, or hot chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered cumin
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 clove of garlic (minced)
- 1/2 lemon juice
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to enjoy
- Serve: pomegranate seeds, a handful of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro, feta cheese (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200℃.
- Place the walnuts and bread chunks on a baking tray and bake for 6-8 minutes until slightly golden brown. Keep checking to make sure it’s not burning. This step is optional, but roasting the nuts brings out their earthy, nutty flavor.
- If you are using jarred peppers, proceed to the next step. If using fresh red peppers, place them on a baking tray and slide them under the grill. When it starts to blacken, flip it over and cook until both sides are browned. (You can also do this on a barbecue or on a gas stove. Just sear it straight over the fire and rotate it with tongs.) Once it’s charred, put it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Steaming it like this makes it easier to peel. Once cool enough to handle, peel and discard any charred skins from the peppers.
- Transfer the peppers to a blender or food processor with the bread, walnuts, spices, puree, molasses, garlic, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Blitz until smooth. If necessary, add a few spoonfuls of water to loosen.
- Place the chickpeas in a bowl. Add muhammara and stir to coat the chickpeas well in the sauce.
- To serve, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley or cilantro. If desired, sprinkle with feta cheese and add toasted walnuts for extra crunch. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and enjoy. It’s best served with a fresh, crunchy salad tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.
Excerpt from Bold Beans: Recipes to get your pulse racing by Amelia Christie Miller (Kyle Books, £22). Photography: Joe Woodhouse. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £17.99, visit: theweekbookshop.co.jp.
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