RED PEPPER AND POMEGRANATE MOLASSES DIP

"Am I tough? Am I strong? Am I hard-core? Absolutely.
Did I whimper with pathetic delight when I sank my teeth into my hot fried-chicken sandwich? You betcha.”
― James Patterson

 

 

When I'm trawling the net for recipes to try out I look for any of the following:

 

(a) the recipe is remarkably simple,

(b) the dish is a classic I want to learn to make, or

(c) it involves unusual combinations of ingredients.

 

 Just to clarify the ingredients themselves should not be unusual - I hate nothing more than having to forage through grocery stores for a bottle of something or the other which will gather dust and fungusify on my kitchen shelf after I've used 1 1/2 tsp for one goddamn recipe. I mean that the mix of ingredients should be unexpected.

 

Like for this exciting, punchy red pepper dip - it has old bread, it has pomegranate juice and peppers. Whaat?! What will this even taste like?! I get all excited and mad scientist-y about stuff like this. But to get back to the question of what it tastes like, this is a light dip with gentle, sweet tones and an incredible soft heat that follows - very truly an unexpected bouquet of flowers. A must try.

 

 Serves 8

Adapted from Martha Stewart

 

What you’ll need:

2 red peppers

1 cup pomegranate juice

¼ cup olive oil

1 pita (torn into chunks)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

¾ tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

 How to:

1. Simmer the pomegranate juice in a pan for about 10 – 15 mins till it’s reduced and much thicker.

 

2. Throw in all the ingredients (including cooked pomegranate juice) and blend till you have a smooth paste.