Red Pepper, Pomegranate & Walnut Dip (Muhammara)

Published by

Jasmine

on

Today I’m sharing the recipe for a delicious Levantine dip I make pretty regularly, but to make things a little more interesting, I’ve included an ‘add on’ recipe to make this into a really tasty vegetable bowl (I personally love doing this on a work from home day when I’ve got some of this dip leftover from another day and want to make it into a meal with minimal effort). I also think this is a nice way to brighten up seasonal winter vegetables, which get a bit of a bad rap!

INGREDIENTS


FOR THE DIP

Base:

Roasted red pepper (jar is fine, or follow the prep instructions in this post if using a fresh whole pepper)

Lemon juice

Walnuts

Breadcrumbs (make your own and ensure they’re ground finely or store bought is fine too)

Honey or agave nectar

Pomegranate Molasses

Tahini

Olive oil

Spices and Aromatics:

Sumac

Aleppo pepper

Ground cumin

Garlic (I like to pre-roast mine, if using raw for a quick preparation then half the quantity noted in this recipe)

Garnishes:

Fresh parsley

Fresh pomegranate seeds

FOR THE VEGETABLE, CHICKPEA & HALLOUMI BOWL

Spices and flavouring:

Ras el hanout (a spice blend)

Spiced paprika

Rose harissa (homemade or store bought)

Vegetables:

Cauliflower

Cavolo Nero

Sweet potato

Everything else:

Halloumi (if plant-based, given vegan halloumi isn’t very common, you can substitute with vegan feta to still get that salty counterbalance to the sweet elements at play, you can then mix the rose harissa with some olive oil to drizzle over like a dressing)

Chickpeas

TIPS

The dip itself really can be as quick and easy as you want it to be and it will still taste delicious. You can throw the ingredients straight into the blender and have it ready in under 5 minutes if you use jarred red pepper, don’t roast the garlic and opt for store-bought breadcrumbs, but if you have the time and want to go the extra mile then these tweaks can elevate the dish too.

Muhammara Dip

  • Servings: 4 as a side
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

An aromatic, plant-based red pepper, walnut and pomegranate dip

Food processor required, no advance prep needed

Ingredients

  • 165g of roasted red pepper
  • 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 of a cup of walnuts
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp of tahini
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 tsp of honey (or agave)
  • 1 tsp of pomegranate molasses
  • 1/2 a tsp of Aleppo pepper
  • 1/2 a tsp of sumac
  • 1 tsp of cumin
  • a small handful of fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 1-2 tbsp of fresh pomegranate seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 160C and cut the ends off the garlic cloves and put them on a small piece of foil, drizzle over some olive oil, season with salt and pepper and fold the cloves into the foil to make a package – roast this for 15-20 minutes (if you don’t wish to pre-roast the garlic, simply use half the amount raw)
  2. Add all of the ingredients besides the fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds (which we’ll use as garnishes) to the food processor and blend until smooth
  3. Serve topped with an extra drizzle of olive oil, the fresh parsley and the pomegranate seeds

Vegetable Bowl with Rose Harissa Halloumi & Chickpeas (served on a bed of Muhammara)

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Roasted vegetables, chickpeas and pan-fried halloumi with rose harissa, to be served with a Muhammara dip

No special equipment or advance prep needed

Ingredients

  • 225g of halloumi (rinsed, dried off and cubed)
  • 1 tbsp of rose harissa
  • 1-2 tsp of ras el hanout
  • 1/2 a tsp of smoked paprika
  • 1 sweet potato (peeled and cubed)
  • 80g of cavolo nero (de-stemmed and roughly chopped)
  • 400g tin of chickpeas (drained and dried off)
  • 1/2 a head of cauliflower (broken into florets)
  • Olive oil for cooking and finishing
  • Muhammara dip
  • a small handful of fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 1-2 tbsp of fresh pomegranate seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C
  2. Add the sweet potato and cauliflower to a sheet pan with a sprinkle of the ras el hanout and smoked paprika spice mix, salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil – oven roast for around 25 minutes
  3. Add the chickpeas to a second sheet pan (lined with greaseproof paper if you have it) with 1/3 of the spice mix, salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil – add this to the oven for no more than 10 minutes before the roasted vegetables will be done
  4. Whilst the chickpeas and vegetables are in the oven, oven a medium heat, melt the rose harissa in a wide-based lidded pan and add in the halloumi – pan fry for 5-7 minutes with regular turns using tongs until the halloumi is fried with the harissa pasted coated onto it (set aside for now)
  5. In the same pan, add a drizzle of olive oil, the cavolo nero, some seasoning and the last of the seasoning, cover and steam for 3-5 minutes
  6. Coat the serving plate in the Muhammara dip and serve with the chickpeas, roasted vegetables, cavolo nero and rose harissa halloumi
  7. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over the parsley and pomegranates to serve

Let me know if you try my take on this dip!

Check out my method below:

Leave a comment