Originally a Syrian recipe, this Muhammara Dip (red capsicum and walnut) is often found as part of a meze platter. My friend Marie introduced me to this heavenly concoction and I instantly begged her for the recipe. I’ve played around with the recipe a bit (I can’t bloody help myself) and the result is this creamy red capsicum dip, with a hint of tartness and sweetness from the pomegranate molasses. If you like hummus, get cracking and make this, it is, if I do say so myself, phenomenal, and it’s wayyyyyy nicer than any hummus I’ve tried. It’s so good, I’ve made three batches of this in just over a week (!) and we are having it with everything: It goes beautifully with my morning poached eggs on toast, mixed in with yogurt as a creamy salad dressing, as a side sauce with roast veges, it’s also amazeballs with BBQ chicken. Oh, and it’s shit-hot in sandwiches in the place of mayo or sugar-laden relishes and chutneys.
I’ve made my Muhammara dip in my Nutribullet, and it works perfectly. You can, of course, use a food processor (I try to avoid using mine as much as possible because I’m lazy: I detest washing it up and putting it away in the cupboard!). Having looked at some other versions of the recipe online, I’ve noted the more traditional methods of making this dip is actually in a mortar and pestle, so the result is a dip that’s got a coarse, pesto-like, consistency. Yum, I’ll give this more authentic method a bash at some stage.
Note, If you don’t have pomegranate molasses – don’t fret, just leave it out, it’s not a deal breaker. In fact, I only just included pomegranate molasses in my latest batch as I only just made a trip to Vetro to get some more. Up until then I’d added a couple of dates for sweetness and a half teaspoon of balsamic vinegar in an attempt to get the sweet/tart hit (it worked well and I high-fived myself on my Kiwi cooking ingenuity). Similarly if you don’t have any smoked paprika, or cumin (etc), just leave it out. Feel free to add in a handful of fresh mint (I tried that – thumbs up). If you’ve followed my blog for a while you’ll know I’m a big fan of ‘making do’ in the kitchen, it’s such fun and some of my best recipes have come as a result of improvising. Get your creative on! (more…)
What’s on my menu for Christmas Day? I am still pondering this, however, so far it’s got 
Eggs benedict. Asparagus with Hollandaise. The thought makes me go weak at the knees and my mouth water. Everytime I make this sauce for visitors they are wowed that I’ve made it from scratch. The thing is, I’ve bought pre-made Hollandaise sauce and I’ve been really underwhelmed – it just doesn’t compare to the homemade version.
I stopped buying mayonnaise a couple of years ago once I discovered Annabel Langbein’s Speedy Mayo recipe – which is essentially: Biff all ingredients together and blitz it with a handheld stick blender in a timeframe that’s (nearly) quicker than you can say “Bob’s your uncle”. I couldn’t even get to my local dairy and back in an emergency to buy mayo as fast as I can make this. Did I mention that it tastes utterly delicious? As I type this I have a huge craving for a plate of crayfish, a side of this mayonnaise and a wedge of lemon. Bring on summer. My mouth is watering. But, I digress. My recipe below is similar to Annabel’s, but with my own spin on it (I much prefer my recipe, but don’t tell her that, thanks).
I die quietly and go to heaven every time I eat these… I eagerly await asparagus season every year, I can’t get enough of it. This is one of my favourite ways to eat asparagus although, as my Hubby quite rightly points out, anything wrapped in bacon is a winner! I’ve made these bundles of deliciousness as a side dish, as a pass around ‘nibble’ when there’s visitors around for dinner. Time to fess up: I’ve even had a big plate of it on it’s own as a meal (told you I love it). They are fun to make – and there’s not much to it! Get in quick – asparagus season finishes far too quickly! 
This adults version of traditional basil pesto is always a winner: Every time I make this and serve it to friends, I get asked for the recipe. I figured that’s a good reason to share it with you!