Muhammara is a delectable dip, typically made with roasted aleppo peppers, walnuts, and lemon juice. Being in Texas, however, we mixed things up a bit and used sweet Carmen peppers (from Johnson’s Backyard Garden), pecans, and key lime juice.  The result is amazing!  Note that this recipe calls for pomegranate molasses, which really are a key ingredient.  Look for them at your local Mediterranean grocer (such as Phoenicia in Austin) or in the international food aisle of your grocery store.  You could also use reduced balsamic vinegar as a substitute.  If you can’t find Carmen peppers, use 2 to 3 large red bell peppers in their place.

Texan Muhammara

Ingredients

• 5 Carmen peppers
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup pecans
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon harissa or 1 teaspoon hot pepper powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 1/4 cup fresh key lime juice (about 6 key limes)
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1.  Place the peppers on a baking sheet and coat lightly with cooking spray.  Broil on high, turning peppers occasionally, until the skins are blistered and blackened evenly.  Place the blackened peppers in a large bowl, cover, and let them steam themselves for about 5 minutes.  Remove the stems, seeds, and skins from all the peppers.
2. In a large pan, lightly toast the pecans.  Don’t burn them, but get a nice even toast so that the pecans become slightly fragrant.
3. Place skinned peppers, toasted pecans, garlic, harissa, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and lime juice in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Salt to taste.  Serve with pita, crackers, sliced cucumbers, or use as a sandwich spread!

Baba Ganoush is kind of like hummus, but made with eggplant instead of chickpeas.  This recipe includes broiling the eggplant and using chipotle powder to give it a nice smoky flavor.  Baba ganoush is great as a dip or as a healthy alternative to mayonnaise on sandwiches.  Give it a try!

Smoky Baba Ganoush

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds purple eggplant, stemmed and halved
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation

1. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the eggplant halves cut-side-down on the sheet and broil on high until the skins are evenly charred.  This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Bake the eggplant, still cut-side-down, at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes.  The  eggplant flesh should be extremely soft at this point.
3. Scoop the flesh of the eggplant out from the skins.  Transfer to a large blender or food processor.  Add the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, chipotle powder, garlic, salt and several twists of black pepper from a mill.  Process until completely smooth.
4. Transfer the puree to a large bowl and mix in the parsley.  Season with additional salt if necessary.  Let cool to room temperature or chill slightly in the refrigerator before serving.

Special thanks to our friend Rob for this recipe idea.