Syrian Muhammara Walnut Pepper Toasts

Ingredients

• 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 4 slices rustic bread
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion or 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps

1. Drain the roasted peppers thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels. Any liquid left on them will make the muhammara loose and dull instead of thick and glossy.
2. Put the walnuts, garlic, Aleppo pepper, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse to a coarse crumb.
3. Add the peppers, breadcrumbs, pomegranate molasses, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and pulse in short bursts until it comes together as a thick, textured paste.
4. Stop while it still has grain to it. Muhammara blended smooth turns pasty and loses the walnut texture that defines it.
5. Taste and balance: it should be sweet, sour, smoky, and hot all at once. Add more molasses for sourness, salt for depth, or Aleppo pepper for heat.
6. Rest the muhammara for 15 minutes so the breadcrumbs absorb the oil and it firms up to a spreadable consistency.
7. Toast the bread until crisp and brush it with the remaining olive oil while hot.
8. Spread the muhammara thickly on the toasts, swirl the top with the back of a spoon, and finish with the onion, fresh herbs, and lemon wedges.

Allergen note: Contains tree nuts and gluten.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.