Muhammara Dip or Red Pepper Dip

Easy

I stumbled across recipes for Muhammara Dip and was intrigued to try it. Hey, I had a jar of red peppers in my pantry aching for use, and this seemed the perfect way to do that.

A Bit About Muhammara Dip

This dip can easily be found in the Middle East, Mediterranian, and Armenia and is said to have been eaten since the 18th century, but I wonder if it hasn't been longer just because it is so simple to make.

"Muhammara" simply means reddened in Arabic. Pretty easy way to name a dip, right?

It typically has roasted red peppers, walnuts, breadcrumbs, olive oil, Aleppo pepper, and pomegranate molasses. My version differs slightly because I didn't have Aleppo peppers or pomegranate molasses.

My Version

I substituted red pepper flakes and smoked paprika for the Aleppo pepper because it is spicy and smoky. I suppose you could also use dried chipotle peppers as well. For the pomegranate molasses, I used maple syrup for the sweetness and a bit of lemon juice for the tang.

I was going to substitute another nut for the walnuts because I'm not a walnut fan, but everything I read said that if you change the nuts, you change the integrity of the dish. Because I was already messing with some of the key ingredients, I decided to give the walnuts a try, and they were delicious in the dip! See, it goes to show that sometimes even the things we don't like can make dishes perfectly balanced.

Here's my version of Muhammara Dip. I hope you like it as much as I do.