Yotam Ottolenghi is one of my favorite chefs. Two Christmases ago, my kids each received a Yotam Ottolenghi basket that included one of his books, spice mixes, harissa (I made both), and more. Here is one of my favorite recipes of this.
Ingredients
- 5 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and quartered
- 1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 plum or Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise, stems removed
- 1 red chili, stem removed
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, divided
- 1 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- Seeds from 1 pomegranate seeds
- 1 tablespoon parsley leaves, roughly chopped, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius or 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the peppers, onion, tomatoes, and chili to a large parchment-lined baking tray. Toss with 3 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and plenty of black pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, add the tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of the oil to a small frying pan set over medium heat, and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste is a deep red and is caramelized. Set aside to cool.
Add the cumin and coriander seeds to a small pan and toast over medium heat, stirring frequently, until aromatic and you can hear a slight popping noise, 1–2 minutes
Remove the spices from the heat and grind them into a coarse powder with a mortar and pestle.
Remove the peppers and onions from the baking tray, add the garlic cloves, and mix lightly. Put the tray back in the oven and roast for another 20 minutes or until vegetables are softened and lightly charred.
Once they’re cool enough to handle, peel and discard the tomato and pepper skins (don’t worry if you can’t remove it all). Add the peeled roasted vegetables, the tomato paste mixture, the ground spices, 1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of pepper to a food processor and pulse into a coarse paste, leaving the mixture slightly chunky. Add the walnuts and pulse just enough to roughly blitz (you want the mixture to still have some texture). Stir in the pomegranate seeds.
To serve, transfer the muhammara to a serving plate or bowl and create a slight well in the center. Garnish with the extra pomegranate seeds and parsley, then drizzle the remaining tablespoon each of pomegranate molasses and olive oil over the top.
