Muhammara (Roasted Pepper & Walnut Spread) � Lebanese Adjacent

This muhammara video was inspired by a request we received for a Lebanese recipe. Not knowing any off the top of my head, I asked for suggestions, and this amazing red pepper walnut spread was nominated by several people. The only problem is, it�s actually a Syrian recipe.

Nevertheless, it�s apparently very popular in Lebanon, as well as across the rest of the Mideast, and once you taste it, you�ll understand why. Like I said in the intro, this may be the most delicious thing you�re not currently eating.

All great dips and spreads should be addictive, but there�s something very special about how this beckons you back for more, and more, even after you�re being stared at by the other guests. Let them enjoy their superior will power � we�ll continue to enjoy the muhammara.

You'll find pomegranate molasses at any Middle Eastern grocery store, or online, but if you can�t, you can make it by reducing pomegranate juice (Google for more details). Or, maybe substitute with some honey for the sweetness, and little extra lemon for the tartness. Either way, I really hope you give this amazing muhammara a try soon. Enjoy!

* Bell Pepper Buying Note: Sometimes bell peppers have large seed pods which makes them very heavy, and therefor very expensive. Depending on the season, a jar of roasted peppers will actually be cheaper than two fresh peppers. I usually weigh them at the store, do the math, and then make the fresh/jarred call.

Ingredients for 6 portions:

1 cup roughly chopped fire-roasted red peppers (peeled, seeded)

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1 1/4 cup raw walnut halves

1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses

1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon Allepo or other red pepper flakes

Italian parsley, chopped walnuts, and pepper flakes to garnish

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Sloppy Dip � G.I. Joe (Generally Inspired-By)

Don�t let the catchy name fool you; this sloppy Joe-inspired dip really shouldn�t cause that big a mess at your Super Bowl party, just as long as your guests aren�t too sloppy themselves. You can test them by having them pronounce, �sloppy dip.� If they say it more like, �shloppy dip,� cut them off.

For me this checks all the boxes for a hot party dip. It�s relatively cheap, and easy to make, but maybe more importantly, it�s great hot, warm, or room temp. It�s also incredibly versatile, and I can think of about two-dozen things off the top of my head that would be great in this.

Like I said in the video, you don�t have to present this as a baked dip. You can just leave it on the stove, on low, for guests to dip into. People are always hanging out in that area anyway. Otherwise, you can broil it in any oven-safe casserole dish, or do it in a sauce pan like I did, which can also be kept on low heat after browning the cheese. No matter how you serve it, I hope you give this great, and sloppy dip a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 12 portions of Sloppy Dip:  

2 pound extra lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 diced green bell pepper (1 cup)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

cayenne to taste

1 cup ketchup

2 cups chicken broth or water

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

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Real Aioli for Real

I don�t usually like to put words like �real� or �classic� in front of recipe names, since who the hell really knows, but in the case this aioli, I�m feeling pretty confident. In its purest form, this amazing sauce is nothing more than olive oil emulsified into freshly crushed garlic, seasoned simply with salt and lemon.

It arguably the greatest cold sauce of all time. Speaking of cold, the health benefits of regular aioli consumption are legendary. There�s not much not to like here, unless you don�t like garlic, then there�s plenty. This is pure, fiery, intense garlic flavor like you may have never tasted. It�s also a clever trick to get you to buy a wooden, or marble mortar and pestle.

Sure, if you don�t have one you can smash the garlic against the cutting board, with the flat of a large knife, and sort of do the same thing, but you don�t get the extra pulverization when emulsifying the oil.  And it�s all about the pulverization.  That�s what releases all those volatile compounds in the garlic, producing aioli�s signature flavor. I really hope you give this a try soon.  Enjoy!

Ingredients for about  2/3 cup Real Aioli:

4 large FRESH garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or other course grain salt

1 to 2 teaspoons freshly sqeezed lemon juice or vinegar, or to taste

1/2 cup *light flavored extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 teaspoons of water to adjust texture 

- Note: This is best eaten fresh, but should be okay for about 24 hours. 

* Since this sauce has such a sharp, hot flavor from the garlic, you don�t want to use a really strongly flavored olive oil. We don�t want anything too peppery and bitter, which will clash with the garlic. Use something on the mild side, or cut with a neutral vegetable oil.

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Classic Guacamole � How to Make Guacamole Like a Guacamaster

It�s National Guacamole Day, or at least for a few more hours it is. Having said that, there is no bad day to make guacamole. There are few things as easy, healthy, and delicious as this ubiquitous dip. However, unless you�re grinding your aromatic vegetation in a molcajete, or against a cutting board as seen here, you�re really not tasting a classic guacamole. 

The flavors not only become more intense, but actually change in character. This is just what those bland, fatty, but delectable avocados need. That and a thoughtful seasoning of lime juice, and maybe some more salt.

I know we�ve already posted a guacamole video, but that was like 8 years ago, and probably before I knew how to make it properly. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 portions:

1/4 to 1/3 cup finely diced white onion

2 tablespoons minced serrano pepper (or more jalape�o)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided in half (half to grind, half to add later)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt for grinding vegetables, plus more to taste

6 small or 4 large Hass avocados

1 cup diced ripe tomatoes, drained, optional

juice of one lime, or to taste

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Eastern North Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce with a West Coast Twist

I�m not sure if using honey instead of sugar really qualifies as a �West Coast twist,� but it does ensure that people from North Carolina can�t attack me for this Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue sauce not being authentic. 

Anyway, while this isn�t exactly what you might find in the Tar Heel State, it was fantastic on the pork, and I hope it inspires you to add this deliciously different barbecue sauce in your repertoire.

As I mentioned in the video, I�m heading down to SoCal to work on a top-secret project, but since I teased this sauce in the recent paper pork recipe, I wanted to get this posted before I left. Unfortunately, I can�t give any details about what I�m doing down there, but let�s just say�actually, I can�t even say that. So stay tuned, and in the meantime, I really do hope you give this a try soon.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon honey, or other sweetener to taste

1 generous tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 generous tablespoon hot red pepper flakes

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

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Eggplant Escabeche � The Second Best Way to Eat Eggplant

The best way to eat eggplant is fried, which I�ll hopefully prove to you one day with a video recipe. In the meantime, you�ll have to settle for the second best way, which is this eggplant escabeche. It�s cold, refreshing, vibrantly-flavored, and I�m guessing, very healthy. 

This was inspired by a visit to a restaurant in San Francisco called Lolinda, where Chef Alejandro Morgan serves a simple, but incredibly delicious Argentinian-style eggplant escabeche. I won�t go so far as to say it came out as good, but the noises of pleasure Michele made while eating this were very similar. 

If you didn�t get the #dotsnotslots reference, I explained how to tell a �male� from �female� eggplant in a old video, which involves looking for a dot shaped mark at the end, and not a slot shaped one. This indicates a �male,� which generally has less seeds.

By the way, �male� is in quotations because eggplants don�t actually have different genders, but apparently some are less pregnant than others. I�m certainly no expert when it comes to eggplant sex, but I�ll go with that until I hear otherwise. I really do hope you give this fabulous eggplant recipe a try soon. Enjoy! 

 
Ingredients for about 2 pints:
3/4 cup sliced roasted sweet and/or hot peppers
1 large eggplant, halved, cut in 1/4 slices
1 large zucchini, halved, cut in 1/4 slices
tossed with 2 tablespoons kosher salt 
1 cup white wine vinegar 
2/3 cup water 
1/2 cup olive oil 
2 cloves finely crushed garlic 
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
1/4 cup reserved vinegar cooking liquid
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
.

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