WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Traditional muhammara is a sweet-smoky blend of roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and Turkish or Syrian spices. It makes a delicious dip for crudités or pita, a spread for sandwiches, or a sauce for meat and fish. Ours incorporates beets, which gives it a splendid color and deeper flavor. For optimal creaminess, we found that microwaving grated beets softened them just enough to blend into the mixture. Jarred roasted peppers added smokiness without any hassle. Pomegranate molasses gave the dip its hallmark sweet yet slightly bitter flavor. It can be found in the international aisle of supermarkets; or substitute 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus 1 tablespoon mild molasses for the 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses. You can use the large holes of a box grater or a food processor fitted with a shredding disk to shred the beets.
Makes about 2 cups
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces beets, trimmed, peeled, and shredded
- 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 cup walnuts, toasted
- 1 scallion, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- Microwave beets in covered bowl, stirring often, until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer beets to fine-mesh strainer set over bowl and let drain for 10 minutes.
- Process drained beets, peppers, walnuts, scallion, oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Transfer mixture to serving bowl and season with salt to taste. Drizzle with extra oil to taste, and sprinkle with parsley before serving.
