Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread (Muhammarah)

Note: Muhammarah may be made several days in advance. It sotres well, refrigerated, in glass jars. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

You will also need:
1. A baking sheet.
2. A medium-sized bowl and a small bowl.
3. A chopping board and knife.
4. A food processor or blender.

Put the red peppers on a baking sheet. Adjust the top oven rack so that it is quite close to the oven’s top grilling flame. Turn on the oven grill to high (if it is an adjustable one). Place the red peppers under the flame, quite close to it, and grill them for 15-20 minutes on each side. The skin will be charred black and the flesh soft.

Transfer the grilled peppers to a bowl. When they are cool enough to handle, transfer them one at a time to the chopping board and remove their stalks, stems and peel. Pour the juices that have collected in the bottom of the bowl into a small bowl and set them aside.

Put the peppers in the food processor or blender and process them, using the pulse setting, until they become a coarsely textured purée.

Put the puréed peppers back in the medium-sized bowl. Add the bread crumbs, cumin, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, pomegranate syrup, olive oil, tahini, and coarsely ground walnuts and stir everything together. If the mixture is too thick, thin it with some of the reserved juice from the roasted peppers.

Taste and add salt to your liking.

A suggestion for serving: Arrange the spread on a plate lined with leaves of romaine lettuce and sprinkle the spread with finely cut threads of lemon zest and/or chopped walnuts or whole walnut halves.

This version of Muhammarah is adapted from a recipe by Anissa Helou who writes about Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food on her website Anissas.com.