a Turkish themed Valentine’s day dinner
Why a Turkish theme for valentine’s day dinner you ask?
When we visited Turkey, we discovered that in the touristy areas, almost every edible thing for sale was marked as either an aphrodisiac or a viagara substitute. No matter what a vendor was selling, he claimed it was good for your love life. Apricots, nuts, sweets, spices, tea…every thing came with the promise of…err…better procreative ability.
Talk about marketing technique! Sweets at the grand bazaar in Istanbul and a dried fruit stall in Cappadocia.
I’ve traveled enough to know that this aphrodisiac thing is a scam. But somehow during the Turkey trip, my brain made a connection between Turkish food and aphrodisiac. So when I was thinking of what to make for Valentines day, Turkish food was the first thing that came to mind 
We started dinner with Muhammara – an incredibly delicious and easy Turkish dish to whip up. This dip is also called Acuka in Turkey and is also eaten in other parts of the middle east. It is slightly tart and sweet from the pomegranate and buttery from the walnuts. Muhammara is great as a dip, but it will also make a fantastic sandwich spread. There are several variations of this dish, but the main ingredients are always walnuts, roasted red peppers and pomegranate molasses. You can get pomegranate molasses in any middle eastern grocery store.
Muhammara – Turkish Walnut Pomegranate Dip
makes about 2 cups
1 cup walnuts
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 large roasted red peppers (see below for how to roast peppers)
1 clove garlic
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup dried bread crumbs
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp ketchup
½ tsp salt
Toast the walnuts in a skillet on medium heat, till they are slightly browned.
Put the toasted walnuts and all other ingredients in a blender and blend into a smooth dip. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add a few tablespoons of water to the blender. Serve with warm pita bread or vegetables.
How to roast peppers
Place red peppers over a direct flame – either on your stove or in an outdoor grill. Roast the red peppers on a high flame till they are completely charred on all sides. Place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the peppers steam this way for atleast 10 minutes. Using a paper towel, wipe off all the charred skin of the red peppers. Chop the peppers, discarding the seeds and membrane inside.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Goodness this looks delightful! What a beautiful color the dip takes on. I have used walnuts in my pestos for awhile now, but this is totally new. It almost reminds me of a Romesco sauce, both visually and ingredient-wise. Though I love trying new ingredients, if I can’t find pomegranate molasses could you suggest a substitute?
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I LOVE muhammara, you just reminded me that I haven’t made it in awhile! That will change soon
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YUM! I love Muhammara, I made it for the first time for thanksgiving. Your recipe is a bit different from the one I used, so I’ll try this version next time (since I seem to have the never ending bottle of pomegranate molasses!)
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he he! yup even I noticed in one of the shows in Travel n living channel that Turkey vendors relate every edible item as a substitute to Viagra.
Muhammara sounds interesting n whats this pomegranate mollases? cannt I use fresh pomegranate?
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I’ve made several different versions of this dip in the past but this one looks better. And those photos! They just keep getting better and better!
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thank you for introducing muhammara to me!
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I would love to slather it on a piece of thick toast. Looks lovely!
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Turkish Viagra!
Dip looks yummy, almost like Red bell pepper chutney we make. Good one for V day!
)
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Your muhammara looks fantastic! Funny, I just made some of this myself last night for a party. It was a huge hit. If you can’t get pomegranate molasses you can add baslamic vinegar. I also like to add a tsp of citron marmalade. You can play around with adding other sweet/sour things to replace the pomegranate.
It’s great with a smoked paprika. If I don’t have that I add a drop of liquid smoke. Really brings out the flavor. You can use roasted peppers from a jar too which makes for a quick and easy preparation.
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LOL!!!
Love Turkish food & Love Muhammara… after reading ur post.. now everytime i have Turkish I will make a connection.
Your Muhammara has gorgeous colors! I didn't know bread crumbs were added to it too.
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That dip has a fascinating colour and such a thick velvety texture… i've not heard of pomegrante molasses before. How interesting. So far, I've roasted peppers only in the oven.. the stovetop method seems quick & just as easy.
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hahaha, lol @ their marketing antics! I make a roasted red pepper dip, but adding walnuts sounds like a great idea Sala. Would brown sugar do justice to the dish instead of pom molasses ? Hope you had a great weekend.
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Have never been to Turkey, but heard really great things about it.
Your photos are incredible! The dip sounds really good.
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Muhammara looks delicious..This recipe is new to me..Sounds great though
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This is great!!
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This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it.
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If i has pomegranate flavors, I am so on board. The color is gorgeous and I am sure tasted even better!
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what a gorgeous color on that dip! and with those ingredients, what’s not to love? this is new to me, but i have a feeling we’re gonna get to know each other really well.
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I’ve never heard of Muhammara before but it looks amazing! I’m dying to make it now. Ditto everyone else though- let’s say we can’t find the pomegranate molasses, is there anything to substitute that would still taste stellar?
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I’ve been wanting to make muhammara for some time, and your incredible pictures definitely convinced me. I’m going to try it out over the weekend, thanks for sharing!
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wow.. lovely dip…great pics as usual.
i have the same bowl as you do.. check it out
http://spicesetc.blogspot.com/2008/10/sweet-corn-soup-fat-free.html
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WOW!!! I don’t know what else to say…that looks fantastic!
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Yay! I actually have some pomegranate molasses, so I reckon it’s time to make this dip…
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I just made a romesco dip which seems to have similar ingredients, but I cant wait to try this with the pomegranate molasses!
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I keep meaning to make muhammara, but then..I don’t. This looks sooo yummy though, I’m going to have to get on that soon!
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your photographs are absolutely stunning! wow!
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so.gorgeous.
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Acuka or dip very gorgeous ur dip! Hey gal u make me dig my monitor now for this dip
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Lovely recipe, will definitely try this one. Would work well with Dukkah on the side too…
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Can I use pomegrante paste instead of syrup? That’s all the local middle eastern shop carries. Thanks.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I havent used pomegranate paste. But I think it might work in this recipe as a substitute to the syrup/molasses. However, the paste might not be as sweet as the syrup in which case you might want to add a little sugar.
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Just had this for the first time in a restaurant, and loved it. Going to try yours soon. Will blog about when I do. http://WWW.t2fish.blogspot.com
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