Muhammara
my death row meal.
Recently my daughter asked me what my death row meal would be. That’s normal right?
This was her way of asking me to make my muhammara, apparently her death row pick. It’s fitting because not only is it memorable, but some of the ingredients may be so difficult to source, you may get a stay of execution!
My first muhammara encounter was at Lola Taverna in Soho. Lola Taverna is, to me, Greek comfort food. From the pikilia— hummus, muhammara, kopanisti, to the mezze— chicken bao buns, grilled octopus, and mains starring grilled lamb chops (OMG the lamb chops), it is easily one of my family’s most trafficked spots.
After about my third or so time having the Lola Taverna muhammara, I decided, I could make this. I tasted red pepper and a spicy sweetness. There was something that made it thick, perhaps walnuts, since it was topped with some. I found a few different recipes to help me with measurements, and in the end, cobbled my favorites together based strictly on what I had on hand. What I didn’t have was pomegranate molasses, which was in the description on the Lola Taverna menu, so probably necessary, and Aleppo. The pomegranate molasses was easily sourced at Whole Foods, but the Aleppo would be much harder to find. Every recipe suggested a substitute red pepper instead of Aleppo, which only made me more intent on finding it.
It woud be some 3 months later, having exhausted Whole Foods, Citarella, Eli’s, and every gourmet food shop in my path, and alerted each of my foodie friends to be on the lookout for this elusive pepper, that I finally hit the jackpot at L’ É’picuriste in Bridgehampton. I wandered in with my friend Stacey and she announced, “What if we made dinner tonight based on what you find in here!”
I walked over to the spice shelf and there it was, ‘ALEPPO.’ Game on.
Positively giddy, we raced home so I could get started on my challenge menu, which was a cacophony of finds, starring muhammara. I roasted the bell peppers in a cast-iron pan (my favorite part), added them (skin on) to a food processor with pomegranate syrup + scallions + walnuts + panko breadcrumbs + cumin + EVOO + kosher salt + ALEPPO and watched the magic ensue. I defrosted a flank steak that had been hidden in the freezer. We grilled it to perfection and topped it with a Chimichurri, I made with the EVOO we bought at L’ Épicuriste becuase it had a pretty label, and garlic and herbs from our friend Debbie’s farm, and assorted grilled and raw veggies also from the farm.
Death row meal sorted.
INGREDIENTS
1 large fresh red bell pepper, roasted*
1/2 cup chopped scallions (3-4 scallions)
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
3 tsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp Aleppo
5 tbsp EVOO
3/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
4-6 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
DIRECTIONS
Combine pepper, scallions, lemon juice, cumin, salt, 2 tsp pomegranate molasses, 1/2 tsp Aleppo, 4 tbsp EVOO, and all but 2 of the walnuts in a food processor and purée until mostly smooth.
Add 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs and pulse to combine. If the mixture is too loose to hold its shape, add the remaining breadcrumbs and pulse again. Season to taste with salt and Aleppo..
Scrape spread into a bowl and make a well in the center with the back of a spoon. Drizzle 1 tbsp EVOO, 1 tsp pomegranate molasses, and 1/2 tsp Aleppo in the well. Crush reserved walnuts between your fingers and sprinkle over the top.
*Char all sides of the pepper directly on the burner of a gas stove, or roast at 400 degrees until blistered all over. Transfer to a bowl until cool enough to handle, then peel off the skin and remove the seeds and stem. Roughly chop pepper. Continue with recipe.