Mohammarah - Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Mezze with Chickpea Tofu Sumac Crackers

Ingredients

Yield:

1L

• Mohammarah

  • 6 pc Red Capsicum Pepper
  • 1/3 cup Walnuts, lightly toasted
  • 2/3 cups Fresh Fine Breadcrumbs
  • 4 pc Garlic Cloves, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 tsp Pomegranate Molasses
  • 1 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes
  • 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 tsp Salt

• Chickpea Tofu Sumac Crackers

  • 7 oz Extra Firm Tofu
  • 1 cup Chickpea Flour
  • 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 2 tbsp Cold Water
  • 2 tbsp Canola Oil
  • 2 tbsp Sumac Powder
  • 10 cups Vegetable Frying Oil

Preparation

Difficulty:

Medium

Time:

90 Minutes

Total Time:

 

1. Mohammarah

   1. Preheat the barbecue grill on very high heat.
   2. Place the whole red capsicum peppers on the grill and cook until the skin of the pepper is blistered and charred on one side. Then turn the pepper over to the other sides until blistered and charred on all sides evenly.
   3. Remove the hot blistered peppers from the heat and place them in a bowl. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap allowing the peppers to rest in their own steam so the skin softens and later can be easily removed.
   4. Once the peppers have rested and are cool enough to handle, scrape off the outside blistered skin with a paring knife and remove the seeds from the inside leaving only the flesh of the pepper.
   5. In a food processor blend together the roasted peppers, bread crumbs, toasted walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, cumin, red chili flakes, and salt. Blend for 1 minute until mixture is smooth in consistency.
   6. To finish with the food processor running slowly stream in the olive oil gradually to combine.
   7. Transfer the Mohammarah to a bowl and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour to set and thicken consistency before serving.
   8. To serve, garnish the Mohammarah with toasted walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and a drizzle of fresh olive oil. Serve with Chickpea Tofu Crackers or soft Arabic Bread.

2. Chickpea Tofu Sumac Crackers

   1. In a food processor combine the tofu, chickpea flour, all purpose flour, salt, cold water and canola oil. Blend all ingredients together for 30 seconds just until all the ingredients are mixed together evenly throughout. The mixture will be moist to touch.
   2. Remove the ingredients from the bowl of the mixer onto a clean work surface.
   3. Using your hands bring the mixture together to form a dough ball.
   4. Knead the dough for 1 minute until the dough is smooth and consistent throughout.
   5. Rest the dough refrigerated for 30 minutes before using.
   6. After resting, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each dough ball on a floured work surface until the dough is evenly 3mm thick. (or if a pasta roller is available you can use the pasta roller for ease and convenience)
   7. Cut the raw dough sheets into desired shape and size.
   8. Preheat frying oil to 375 F
   9. Fry each individual piece of cracker dough until golden brown then remove from the oil and set aside.
   10. Dust the crackers with sumac powder and enjoy the crackers to accompany any ‘bread and spread’ items.