So when I'm looking for a go-to holiday recipe that's gonna see me throughout the season, and for that, I go to this gorgeous dip that is made with roasted red peppers and delicious spices, and it is called muhammara.

It's a Middle Eastern recipe, and every cook has their own little version for it, and I am excited to share my take on it with you.

[upbeat music] Look at these caramelized onions.

Now I'm gonna put a few more things in the pan to continue building our base.

I have a generous amount of chopped garlic, and I have some brown sugar, and two glorious spices.

The first is a spice blend, called garam masala.

We are adding all kinds of flavor in that one spoonful.

I'm also adding a really high quality chili powder.

It can be ancho, it can be Chipotle, it can be whatever you like, but you know, no matter which one you add, make sure it is fragrant.

And then I'm going to put in a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.

You can add a little, you can add a lot, depending on your personal preference for heat level.

And what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna stir all this in and I'm gonna let that brown sugar melt, and I'm going to let the heat bloom those spices to bring out the best in their flavor.

Oh wow, that smells so good.

I love it when baking spices and our cooking spices hit that oil and you smell their perfume.

I am going to transfer this into a food processor, and then I am going to add some chopped roasted red pepper.

So into the food processor they go.

And then I'm going to add walnuts.

This dip is thickened by walnuts.

I love the effect, their crunch, their little bit of flavor in there.

I have fresh lemon juice for a bit of bright citrus.

And of course, I have the zest from that lemon because that zest has more flavor than even the juice, and then this is pomegranate molasses.

I love pomegranate molasses.

All that is is pomegranate juice, you know that beautiful ruby red, sweet tart juice that is cooked down until it is as thick as honey or syrup?

It is essential to the beautiful, sweet, tart flavor of this dip.

[blender rumbling] Take the lid off and scrape down one time, and then pulse, [blender rumbles] and this is great.

Let me show you how this looks on the end of my spoon.

So it's all pulverized and you can tell that things are combined, but you can see those tiny little bits of the pepper and the onion and the walnut, so it's not too soft.

There's still gonna be some bite to it, but it's completely incorporated.

I would like for this to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, but when I serve it, it tastes best at room temperature, which is another reason it's the great party recipe, 'cause you don't have to worry about keeping it ice cold.

And that's how easy this is.

Everything we put in here was flavor packed, and when it comes together, this is one of the best dips you're ever gonna make.

So I have put my dip in a beautiful serving piece, and now I'm gonna add a few little things right at the end.

This is some really good olive oil, just a little drizzle over the top, and then a little bit more of that delicious, tangy, beautiful pomegranate molasses.

And to continue with pomegranates, these are fresh pomegranate seeds, actually the word is aril, but we all know the beautiful, juicy, delicious crunch, and bright flavor of these.

It always reminds me of putting some sort of great edible sequin on top of this.

Now you can serve this with crackers, you can spread it on little finger sandwiches, but I really like pita bread with this.

This is a Middle Eastern dip, so this bread is just right.

Let me make myself a cute little plate here, making sure I get some of the oil, some of the pomegranate molasses, and a few of those pomegranate arils.

My little bit of bread.

Spread it right on there.

I love this so much.

Mm, I love a good dip.

People understand dip, they look forward to it.

There is no way that they can anticipate just how delicious this one is.

Everything you could want for a holiday party dish, muhammara, put it in your recipe box.

Put some on some pita, have a little party, okay?

[upbeat music]