Muhammara Recipes Wanted

[shel]

Hi,

Recently I discovered Muhammara. I grabbed a few recipes from the web, but was wondering if anyone here has a great recipe or technique for making this wonderful alternative to hummus.

Shel

[Austin_]

I like to wait 20 minutes before serving or even longer if I have to- that way the flavors get better and better the longer it sits out in the fridge. I also think the bread choice is extremely important. It doesn't have to be a Turkish-style bread as long as all the other important ingredients are there (walnuts, olive oil, pomegreate, sweet peppers, etc.) I like using the classic onion bagels (we always have these lying around in our house) or some herbed pita bread which I usually use for dipping. I think the addition of common ingredients like garlic and lemon is okay as long as it doesn't overpower and the person who's eating it can still tell its Muhammara. Here's the recipe I always like to use for making my version of a traditional Muhammara.

Good handful of torn onion bagels or torn pita bread
1 cup of toasted walnuts
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses
4 cloves of garlic, mashed and minced
Good handful of chopped roasted red peppers
Juice and zest of 1 lime or ½ a lemon
½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Let wait for 20 minutes so flavors can combine.

Again, really simple. You can add whatever ingredients you want. Bread variety is key, and the other ingredients added to your taste shouldn't be overpowering to the dish. The longer it sits (before getting rotten anways), the more flavorful it becomes. I'm not Turkish and don't know much about Turkish cuisine, but I love this recipe I created and everyone seems to love it as well.

[shel]

Hi Austin,

The recipe looks pretty typical compared to those I found, although the use of an onion bagel seems like a wonderful idea. I'm gonna definitlytry that. Do you use a stale, day old, or fresh bagel?

Shel

[Austin_]

It depends. Stale bread is usually great for croutons, because of their nice chewy texture, I don't think it really matters either way for this kind of a dish. Btw, sorry for it being like the other recipes on the net- this is the way I always like to make mine- and no matter where you go- all "good-quality" muhammas will be pretty much the same from one another. I know this isn't very traditional but for people who like theirs spicy, I add extra raw garlic and a few shots of sirachi hot sauce before I puree it- and if that doesn't work, you can't go wrong with one (yes, they pack a punch!) Thai bird chiles or some chile de arbols.

[shel]

Originally Posted by Austin_

Btw, sorry for it being like the other recipes on the net- this is the way I always like to make mine- and no matter where you go- all "good-quality" muhammas will be pretty much the same from one another. I know this isn't very traditional but for people who like theirs spicy, I add extra raw garlic and a few shots of sirachi hot sauce before I puree it- and if that doesn't work, you can't go wrong with one (yes, they pack a punch!) Thai bird chiles or some chile de arbols.

Oh, no need to apologize. By seeing the similarities I can get a greater sense of what a "standard" set of ingredients are, stock up on them, make a couple of batches, and add my own touch. I did that when I discovered hummus ... likewise tabouleh, and other recipes.

Today I checked out the ingredient list on the package at the market where i first tasted the stuff. It seems that there's a core set of ingredients, so I'll start there. It's an evolving process.

Thanks so very much for your assistance. You've been very helpful.

Shel

[Austin_]

Welcome.

[sugarBabes]

thanks for that info.