Muhammara (Turkish Red Pepper Spread)

This recipe from Sheilah Kaufman’s A Taste of Turkish Cuisine uses homemade bread crumbs from stale bread.

Kaufman, a seasoned chef with more than 28 published cookbooks to her name, says Aleppo pepper can be found at Korean or Mediterranean stores. It is also available online.

Muhammara (Turkish Red Pepper Spread)

Yields: 3 cups

1 cup Aleppo pepper1 cup extra-virgin olive oil1 cup crumbs made from stale bread (see below)1 cup ground walnuts1 tsp sugar3 to 4 garlic cloves, put through a garlic pressSaltFreshly ground black pepper½ tsp ground cuminJuice of ½ lemon

To make the bread crumbs:

Remove crusts from stale bread. Cube and dice in a food processor, grate a hard loaf with a hand grater or simply tear into small pieces by hand.

To make the spread:

Soak Aleppo pepper in 1/2 cup water. Let sit 10 to 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed and mixture has paste-like consistency. Mix well.

Add olive oil, bread crumbs and walnuts, mixing well. Add sugar, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and cumin, mixing well. Add lemon juice and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve at room temperature with bread, crackers or pita bread.