Roasted Sweet Pepper, Walnut, and Pomegranate Spread
by Brenda Langton, Tastemaker in Residence
Roasted Sweet Pepper, Walnut & Pomegranate Spread is pictured here with Brenda's Spoonriver Hummus recipe here
This rich and very zippy dip dances on your tongue. The ingredient that makes it so dynamic is
pomegranate molasses from Lebanon. If you don’t own a bottle, trust me, you will be happy once you track one down. We serve this spread with our creamy hummus, which is a perfect complement. Vegetables, olives, and focaccia, pita, or your favorite bread all go beautifully on a platter with this spread. Substituting flaxseed for the breadcrumbs makes this wheat free.
/ / Make s 1½ cups
Ingredients
2 large red bell peppers or canned, roasted red peppers
1 cup walnuts
3 Tbsp bread crumbs or ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp water
2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- If you use canned, roasted peppers, choose those packed in juice or water rather than vinegar.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rub the peppers lightly with oil, and place them in the oven until the skins blister and lightly brown, about 30 minutes. Turn them with a tong once or twice. You can also roast them over an open flame, turning them until all sides are evenly charred.
- Place the peppers in a paper bag or in a covered bowl so the peppers sweat. Sweating the peppers makes them steam a little, which makes it easier to peel them. When cool enough to handle, peel the peppers.
- Roast the walnuts for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Try to rub off some of their skins once the nuts are roasted. The skins can dull the color of the dip.
- While the peppers are sweating, mix the bread crumbs, molasses, lemon juice, salt, cumin, garlic, water, and olive oil together. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to soften the
- bread crumbs.
- Place the peppers and the breadcrumb mixture in a food processor and pulse until everything is in small pieces but the spread still has some texture to it.