Turkish Red Pepper & Walnut Spread
This dip is also called acuka (pronounced ah-djoo-kah) and is frequently found on buffets and appetizer spreads in Turkey.
Ingredients
2 large red peppers
½ to ¾ tsp. cumin seeds
Scant ½ cup walnuts
¼ cup panko-style breadcrumbs
2 to 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 to 2 tsp. coarsely chopped garlic
1 tsp. smoked or hot paprika or Aleppo peppers
½ tsp. dried red pepper flakes
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Place red peppers on a hot grill near the flame (or under your oven’s broiler), turning occasionally, until all sides are charred and blistered. Remove to a covered bowl and allow to steam for 10 minutes. Peel off skins (don’t worry about getting every bit of char off the flesh; a little is delicious). Now pull out the cores, scrape out the seeds, and coarsely chop.
Toast cumin seeds in a small, dry skillet, shaking frequently, until fragrant. Then grind with a mortar and pestle or in a clean coffee grinder.*
Combine all ingredients except olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processer. Use the pulse button to coarsely chop ingredients. Scrape down sides of work bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the olive oil in a slow stream while you continue to pulse the machine. You want to end up with a rough puree, not a smooth one.
Makes 1 heaping cup.
Suggestions
To give this an upscale Wisconsin spin, replace the walnuts with hickory nuts (and toast them a little in a hot oven to intensify the flavor). Serve as a spread with pita bread, crackers, vegetables, kebobs, etc.
Tip: Although whole seeds provide the most robust flavor, if you don’t have a way to grind them, you can toast an equivalent quantity of pre-ground cumin—just watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
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