Raw Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread)

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I love Middle Eastern cuisine. It’s spicy, fragrant, warming, and nearly always vegan friendly. Wherever I travel—be it a small town or a big city—I know that I can find at least one Middle Eastern restaurant nearby, and that it will be brimming with gently spiced rice, spreads like hummus and baba ghanoush, and plenty of vegetables.

When I was a lowly assistant at FSG, I got invited to quite a few company dinners, and I was always anxious about causing a scene at some upscale dining establishment that turned its nose up at vegans. What would my bosses think? As it turns out, FSG-ers have impeccable taste, and a good 60% of our outings occurred at a local, upscale Middle Eastern restaurant. It was a stroke of good fortune for this happy vegan, who never went home hungry.

We all expect hummus and baba ghanoush when we eat Middle Eastern. But one of my very favorite Middle Eastern spread/dips is a dish called muhummara, which is a dip made from roasted red peppers and walnuts. It’s spicy, tart (there’s typically lemon juice in it), and absolutely delicious. The dish is Syrian in origin, but it’s often on the menu of Middle Eastern restaurants of all varieties—especially Turkish restaurants. No matter where you’re lucky enough to find the stuff, order it: you won’t be sorry.

Typically, one makes muhammara by roasting red peppers and blending them with walnuts (which may also be roasted). For a long time now, I’ve wanted to make a raw version, and this week seemed like as good a time as any. I didn’t want to use raw red peppers, because I knew they wouldn’t have the deep, sweet taste of roasted ones. Instead, I dehydrated some bell peppers for four hours with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then processed them with raw, soaked walnuts. The result was, I must say, a whole lot like the original: smoky, sweet, and a little spicy. You can adjust heat by adding red pepper flakes at your discretion, and you can certainly amp up the garlic if you like!

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Raw Muhammara (makes 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup walnuts, soaked 8 hrs
2 red bell peppers, quartered or cut into thick wedges
4 sundried tomatoes (optional)
1/2 clove garlic, minced
Juice of one freshly squeezed lemon
1/4 tsp cumin
Salt
Red pepper flakes

1) Rub peppers in olive oil. Place them on a Teflex-lined dehydrator sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dehydrate at about 115 degrees for 3-4 hours, or till reduced and soft.

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2) Drain walnuts and place in the bowl of a food processor. Process till very crumbly.

3) Add red peppers, tomatoes (if using), lemon juice, and cumin in the food processor, and process till very smooth. If you need to, add a touch of water. Check mixture for seasoning and then season well with salt and pepper flakes. Serve!

I enjoyed mine stuffed into romaine leaves and served up with salad: fresh, tasty, and just my kind of lunch.

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If you’re a fan of Middle Eastern food—or even if you’re not—you’ll want to give this savory spread a shot. I think it would make for a lovely pre-dinner appetizer or party dip, and you can easily double it!

And now, some news: starting tomorrow morning, I’ll be out of touch for a few days. Before orientation and class begins in mid-January, I’m trying to take some precious time to myself and recuperate from a really hectic few months. Between now and Sunday, I’ll be doing that most impossible of things—going offline. Or rather, I’ll be sans wifi for a week. After that, I’ll be in DC for a week or so. Let’s see if I survive the wifi part.

Between now and Sunday, as I discover anew what it means to disconnect, I’ve asked a few of my dearest blogger friends to fill in for me with guest posts. Now, I know that we all have a tendency to skip over guest posts: I have to admit, I do it too. We read blogs for the voices of the people who write them, and when that voice is on vacation, our attention is too. But please, let me make a case for why you should read this week:

Tomorrow: The gutsy Melissa blogs about the importance of counseling in ED recovery

Wednesday: My friend Anne shares two 5 minute raw snack recipes

Thursday: My friend Melody blogs about an exciting new community agriculture project

Friday: Leslie shares not one, but FIVE scrumptious vegetable recipes

Saturday: The ever inspiring Mara talks about the dangers of perfectionism

Sunday: My friend Bitt opens up about her journey from all raw to high raw (not to be missed)

All of these posts are going to be stellar—I know, because I just finished editing them—so please, please tune in!

And I’ll miss you all enormously, and be ready to share more food porn than my camera can hold by Monday of next week. For now, I wish you all a happy, healthy, and wonderful New Year’s Eve. Eat some kale for me.

xo

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    23 Comments
  1. this is one of my favorite dip, but you’ve got to put pomegrenade sirup and aleppe pepper in it, it really make the dish special!

  2. This sounds yum and something similar to what I have made. Funny thing is I live in the Middle East and alot of what the locals eat here is very meat heavy based. Speaking to them about my diet, they are in shock that I could forgo eating animals. Lucky the Middle Eastern restaurants outside of here aren’t so meat heavy 🙂

  3. i love middle eastern flavors! too bad i have a butt load of raw pecans and have no idea what to make with them! enjoy your tech detox!! i just came off of a break from blogging and it was refreshing! sure google reader is off the chain right now but all things one step at a time!

  4. I absolutely love Middle Eastern food, even moreso now that I am a vegan. There is a great chain (yes, a chain) in Cleveland called Aladdin’s Eatery and they serve amazing and consistent food. It is one of the only restaurants that I willingly eat in anymore. Everywhere else becomes such a chore of mixing and matching ingredients on the menu to come up with some version of a healthy salad. I’d rather eat my own amazing vegan food at home!

    Here’s a link to a fab recipe for kale “butter.” It’s similar to what you explored here. I love it–perhaps too much!
    http://healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-8-and-janes-kale-butter.html

  5. What amazing timing — I was just thinking about romesco sauce, which is also based on roasted red peppers. Definitely want to try this!

  6. Have a wonderful rest!

    I just LOVE that dip so much. Dehydrating peppers really is similar to roasting them.. maybe even better because they get so intense and delicious! I’m looking forward to all the guest posts!

  7. Great minds think alike. Before I saw this post I had been thinking about making exactly this dip for New Year celebrations. I made it last year for Christmas and it was delicious. Great to have a raw version.

    Have a great couple of weeks off line and enjoy your down time.

  8. I ate at this amazing Lebanese restaurant in Portland and it is the only time I’ve ever had muhamara. I think they made it differently though…they used magic. 🙂

  9. Just found this site, what a great site, and that recipe looks devine!! If I don’t own a dehydrator, can I roast the red peppers (I know this is not raw, but I am new to world of raw).

  10. This dip sounds right up my alley! I love Middle Eastern cuisine, too, and enjoyed some of the best I’ve ever had in NYC. Enjoy your time off and have a very Happy New Year!

  11. Have a good week off from social networking, Gena! You sure deserve it as I know you’ve gone through some tough, but wonderful changes! Can’t wait to have you back…. 🙂

  12. Those guest bloggers sound great! Thank you for addressing such weighty topics!

  13. mmmm… muhammara. I made it for the first time this year and love it.

    Enjoy your week offline and happy early New Year Gena!

  14. Brilliant idea -I always get sad about roasting red peppers as you lose so much of them in the roasting/peeling process. Love this!

    Just emailed you too btw – apologies for taking a couple of days to get back to you.

  15. This is crazy that you’re writing about being sans wifi and right now, i am typing the comment from the friendly skies at 40k feet courtesy of airplane wifi 🙂

    I love that youre unplugging before your life heats up to a fever pitch (Even more so than now!) and are going to take a week for yourself without being plugged in.

    Can’t wait to read everyone’s posts that you have lined up…sounds like a diverse mix.

    Today’s recipe…looks awesome! love red peppers and anything WITH red peppers + spreadable dip = awesome!

    Take care, Miss Gena on your week of unplugging!!

    🙂

  16. wow, a packed week! I like guest posts because they give me a chance to get addicted to yet another blog. heh. you always pick good ones too. and get people who aren’t vegan or raw to stretch a little.

    this hummus sounds super yummy. i have a pepper in my fridge just asking to be blended into this.

  17. I love muhammara so much. There is a Middle Eastern deli in front of my massage therapy school that has some seriously good muhammara and hummus and baba ganoush… I can’t help myself. 🙂

  18. I love that dip too!! The ingredient that gives it the “tart” or tangy flavor you mention on the post is pomegranate molasses – which isn’t raw.
    I really like that dip, it is one of the best dips ever. Nice to see your version of a raw muhummara!
    Ana

  19. What a coincidence! I made muhammara for a XMas appetizer…but a raw version would be wonderful I’m sure. I will have to try it next time!