Muhammara

I was looking for something vegetarian and a little different to bring to a party last year. I already had walnuts and roasted red peppers in mind when I happened upon a recipe for muhammara. When I saw one of the ingredients was pomegranate molasses, I knew I'd found my party dip. I had wanted to try pomegranate molasses for a while, so here was my golden opportunity (or more of a red actually).

Muhammara (pronounced moo-hahm-mer-ah) is a Middle Eastern roasted pepper dip (or spread). It's a little spicy, but of course you can make it to taste. It's soooo good. And pretty good for you (as party foods go).

MUHAMMARA

Yield: 2 cups

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained (or about 2 medium roasted red peppers)

1 cup walnuts

1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses* or 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (or Aleppo pepper flakes or 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper)

salt to taste

pita chips (preferably whole wheat) or vegetables for dipping

*Available online, in Middle Eastern stores or the International aisle of some supermarkets

Process garlic cloves until well minced.  Add remaining ingredients (except pita chips) and blend in processor until coarse puree forms. Transfer to bowl; serve with chips or vegetables.

adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2008

I think it takes all of 10 minutes to whip up a batch of this!

just waiting for the party to start

my bottle of pomegranate molasses (luckily they sell it at Wegmans)

If you can't find pomegranate molasses and don't want to order it online, you can make it yourself. I've never done it (because as you can see, I have a bottle at home). But I looked it up and found several recipes (including one from Alton Brown). The recipe below is a mixture of those recipes. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

(Yield: about 1 cup)

4 cups pomegranate juice (Pom brand is recommended)

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for about 70-80 minutes or until juice has reduced to about 1 cup and has the consistency of a thick syrup. Pour syrup into a glass jar and let cool completely. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Red Pepper Puree

This post is my homage to The Minimalist, Mark Bittman, who recently announced his retirement (or at least the end of his regular weekly column in the Dining In section of The New York Times). 

This red pepper puree appeared in his first column back in September, 1997.  This struck me as the ideal choice for paying tribute because it doesn't get much simpler than peppers, oil and salt. And while the technique for roasting the peppers is incredibly easy, the results are so flavorful...you just might want to keep a bottle of this in your fridge from now on, next to the ketchup and mustard.

RED PEPPER PUREE

Yield: 2 cups

4 large red bell peppers, about 2 pounds

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1.      Preheat oven to 475º F. Line a roasting pan with enough foil to fold over the top later. Place the peppers in the pan, and roast, turning the peppers about every 10 minutes. Roast until the peppers collapse, about 40 minutes.

2.      Remove from the oven, fold the foil over the peppers and allow them to cool.

3.      Working over a bowl to catch the peppers' liquid, remove and discard the core, skin and seeds.

4.      Place the pepper pulp in a food processor with about 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, and turn on the machine; drizzle the oil in through the feed tube. Stop the machine, taste and add additional salt or olive oil, if necessary. Store, well covered, in the refrigerator for several days, or in the freezer for up to a month.

Serving Suggestions:

-  Add a couple of tablespoons to the liquid of any simmering grain: rice, couscous, quinoa. The color is glorious.

-  Beat in lemon juice, salt and pepper to make a beautiful salad dressing.

-  Spread on crostini, bruschetta or pizza before baking.

-  Use as a finishing sauce for roasted eggplant, zucchini or other vegetables.

-  Serve as an embellishment for grilled or roasted fish, meat or chicken.

-  Stir into soups or stews just before serving.

-  Mash a couple of tablespoons of puree with a little olive oil, minced garlic and cracked black pepper into fresh, salty cheese -- feta or goat, for example -- to make a dip for bread or vegetables.

Published: September 17, 1997 by Mark Bittman (The Minimalist)

peppers before roasting

10 minutes later

20 minutes later

30 minutes later

40 minutes later

tucked in so they can steam

the skin pulls off easily

about to be pureed

drizzling in the oil

done

I served this in corn soup (mostly because I thought
the bright yellow would look good with the beautiful red)
I could give you the corn soup recipe, but honestly, it was
just okay (although the red pepper puree did elevate it)

Not my best work (the hole in my squeeze bottle needs to be a little bigger).
Plus it isn't Halloween...what's up with the spider web?

This post is dedicated to my friend Glenn Burney. When Glenn found out Mark Bittman had written his last The Minimalist column, he sent me an email to let me know. It said simply: OHHHHHH NOOOOOO!!!!!! with a link to an article entitled The Minimalist Makes His Exit.  Sorry Glenn!

Potato Gnocchi

served with classic pesto

I would love to say this was my first time making gnocchi, but actually that was last week (and a total fiasco). Maybe I shouldn't say total because actually, right up until the end there, it was going rather well. It wasn't until it was time to boil my gnocchi that everything fell apart (and I mean that quite literally). 

I added too much cold gnocchi to my pot of boiling water, which lowered the temperature way too much and caused my gnocchi to completely disintegrate. I'm not kidding. There was nothing left but a cloud of potato dust. When I strained the pot, it slipped right through the holes of my colander and I watched our dinner literally spin down the drain. I wish I had a photo for you, but there was nothing to take a photo of! Plus I felt so dejected, I wasn't really in the mood to reach for my camera.

gnocchi before boiling

It took me a few days to get over it and think about trying again. But I'm glad I did because this time I was very careful not to overload the pot and they came out great. I did make them too big (I didn't realize just how much they would puff up). So they weren't as dainty looking as I'd hoped. But they were still delicious...light and airy pillows of potatoey goodness. 

You'll notice I didn't attempt to roll them with my fork the way the professionals do. I just made a fork print on top for fun. I think next time I'll watch a YouTube video and see if I can learn that technique. For now I'm just satisfied my dinner made it to the plate!

POTATO GNOCCHI

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed

1 cup (or more) all purpose flour

1 large egg yolk, beaten to blend

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Special equipment: potato ricer or food mill

1.      Preheat oven to 400° F. Pierce potatoes in several places and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half. Working in batches, scoop hot flesh into potato ricer or food mill. Rice potatoes onto rimmed baking sheet; spread out and cool to room temperature.

2.      Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer potatoes to large bowl. Add 1 cup flour; toss to coat. Form well in center of potato mixture. Add egg yolk, coarse salt, and nutmeg; stir with fork until mixture is evenly moistened (mixture will look shaggy). Turn mixture out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until dough comes together, sprinkling dough with flour very lightly only if dough is very sticky. Form dough into ball; divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece between hands and work surface into 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut each rope into 3/4-inch pieces. Place gnocchi on prepared baking sheet.

3.      Working in batches, cook gnocchi in large pot of boiling salted water until gnocchi rise to surface of water. Continue to simmer gnocchi until cooked through and tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, carefully transfer gnocchi to bowl. Drizzle gnocchi with olive oil (or top with sauce) and toss to coat.

Gnocchi can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

recipe by Bruce Aidells

baked potato

putting potato in the ricer

It's basically a giant garlic press.
If you don't have a ricer, you can use the fine holes of a box grater.

adding the flour, egg yolk and salt (it really does look like rice)

rough dough

rolled into a rope and a few pieces cut

making fork impression

up close (before boiling)

Phew! Once they rose to the top, I knew I was home free
(that first time, none of them came up for air).