Starter Syrian, Levantine
Muhammara in chicory boats
Vegetarian
Editorially prepared
A thick roasted pepper and walnut dip with sweet-tart pomegranate molasses, served in crisp chicory leaves. Make it the day before. The recipe provides small appetisers and surplus dip to keep for later.
Plan this meal
Set your servings and add the meal. Open your plan to choose more meals and find your combined shopping list.
COOK YOUR WAY
Take this recipe to the kitchen
Start a session to tick off ingredients and steps and use timers.
Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
One serving means one chicory boat with a small amount of dip. The listed ingredients make considerably more muhammara than these appetisers require. For more boats, increase the number of leaves first and use the surplus dip. When scaling the whole recipe, roast the peppers in a single layer; additional batches will extend the preparation time.
Substitutions
Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.
- Instead of Aleppo chilli flakesregular chilli flakes
Start with a small pinch and add more after tasting. Regular flakes can be much hotter and less fruity than Aleppo, so do not automatically use the same amount.
- Instead of fine dried breadcrumbs made from bread without milk or eggsfine fresh breadcrumbs made from bread without milk or eggs
Add gradually until the dip is thick. Fresh breadcrumbs have a different moisture content and volume from dried breadcrumbs, so judge the amount by consistency rather than a fixed conversion.
Shopping for this recipe
Your list uses the selected servings and fridge. Stock quantities are unknown — check you have enough.
Optional ingredients and substitutions
You’ll need
Oven and baking tray large enough for the peppers in one layer · Dry frying pan and one hob ring · Kitchen tongs · Bowl with a lid or a plate to cover it · Fine sieve · Plate for cooling the walnuts · Food processor with a pulse function · Chopping board, knife, spoon and spatula · Kitchen scales and measuring spoons · Shallow airtight container large enough for all the dip · Kitchen paper or a clean tea towel · Serving platter
Method
0/11 stepsPrepare the ingredients
Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional; allow about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and dry the peppers, then arrange them whole on a baking tray in a single layer. Measure the dip ingredients. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Leave the chicory to prepare just before serving the following day.
Prepare the ingredients Roast the peppers
Put the peppers in the preheated oven and roast for about 40–50 minutes from loading, turning with tongs roughly halfway through. The skins should be deeply darkened and blistered, and the flesh soft and slightly collapsed. If the peppers are still firm, continue roasting and check every 5 minutes. Toast the walnuts while the peppers roast; leave the peppers in the oven until they reach the described tenderness.
45:00Roast the peppers Toast and cool the walnuts
While the peppers roast, heat a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat for about 2 minutes. Add the walnuts and toast for 4–5 minutes from adding them, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden. Reduce the heat if they darken quickly. Immediately tip them onto a plate and leave for about 15 minutes, until no longer warm. The peppers are still roasting during this time; remember to turn them.
05:00Toast and cool the walnuts Cover the peppers
Check that the peppers are soft with deeply roasted skins. Remove them from the oven, transfer to a bowl and cover. Leave for about 15 minutes from covering so the steam loosens the skins. Start peeling once the peppers are comfortable to handle; if they are still too hot, wait a few more minutes.
15:00Cover the peppers Peel the peppers
Peel the peppers and remove the stalks, cores and remaining seeds. Do not rinse the flesh. Break it into large pieces and place in a sieve set over a bowl. Allow about 10 minutes to clean the peppers thoroughly.
Peel the peppers Drain and cool the flesh
Leave the flesh in the sieve for about 15 minutes from transferring it, allowing it to drain and cool. Before blending, it should be cool or barely lukewarm, with no freely running juice. If it is still dripping heavily, leave it longer and press gently with a spoon; do not push it through the sieve.
15:00Drain and cool the flesh Pulse to a textured dip
Check that the walnuts have cooled and the peppers are drained and no longer hot. Put them in the processor with the garlic, cumin and Aleppo chilli. Add pomegranate molasses and breadcrumbs, starting at the lower end of the listed ranges; reserve the remaining amounts for adjustment. Pulse briefly, scraping down the sides, until combined but with small pieces of pepper and walnut still visible. Do not blend to a smooth purée.
Pulse to a textured dip Add the oil and season
Add the oil slowly, folding with a spatula or using very short pulses. Start at the lower end of the listed range. Season with salt and taste; add the reserved pomegranate molasses if needed. The dip should be thick enough to hold a soft mound on a spoon. If too loose, add the reserved breadcrumbs; if too stiff, add the remaining oil within the listed range. Stop mixing before the textured consistency disappears.
Add the oil and season Refrigerate for a day
Transfer the dip to a shallow airtight container, seal and refrigerate for 24 hours from placing it in the fridge so the flavours develop. Do not leave it on the worktop to rest beforehand. Afterwards, it should be chilled throughout and thick; keep it refrigerated while preparing the chicory.
Refrigerate for a day Prepare the chicory leaves
Once the dip has rested, choose firm chicory leaves of similar size. Wash gently and dry thoroughly, including inside the hollows. Arrange on a platter with the hollow sides facing upwards. The leaves should be dry and firm enough to hold the filling.
Prepare the chicory leaves Fill the boats and serve
Briefly stir the chilled muhammara and check that it holds on a spoon. Spoon about 20–25 g into each leaf, forming a small mound and leaving the edges exposed. Do not divide all the dip between the leaves: seal the surplus and return it to the fridge immediately. Serve the boats on the platter without extra garnishes, straight after filling while the chicory is crisp.
Fill the boats and serve
My note for next time
Saved automatically in this browser. This note is not sent to the editors. 0/2000
Tips
- Do not rinse the peeled peppers. Remove the seeds with your fingers and lift off remaining skin with a small knife to avoid adding water to the flesh.
- Start with the lower end of the listed ranges for molasses, breadcrumbs and oil. Add the remainder only if the flavour or consistency needs it.
- Stop the processor between short pulses and scrape down the sides. Small pieces of walnut and pepper should remain noticeable.
- If the rested dip is too loose to stay on a leaf, drain it in a fine sieve in the fridge for 10–15 minutes. This is additional time beyond the main schedule.
Storage
Keep the muhammara in an airtight container in the fridge at 4°C or below for up to 3 days from preparation, including the 24-hour resting period. Leave the surplus dip refrigerated and use a clean spoon to take out portions. Store the chicory leaves separately and fill them only just before serving.
Timing
Hands-on: 55 min · Cooking: 45 min · Resting: 24 hr 45 min
The total allows for tasks done in parallel. The individual times can overlap.
