• Roast your peppers as per instructions below, if not using shop bought. While they're roasting, get everything else done.
  3 large red peppers
• Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 2 minutes until fragrant. Cool.
  120 g walnuts
• Blitz your bread to make breadcrumbs and tip out onto a plate.
  40 g bread
• Pulse the walnuts to get a semi-coarse grind. You don't want them too fine.

  Set aside 1 Tbsp as topping.
• Tip the breadcrumbs back in. now add peppers, garlic, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, spices, salt and spices. Blitz again until mostly smooth (leave a little texture if you like).
  1 small garlic clove, 1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp salt
• Taste and tweak: more pomegranate molasses for sweet-tang, more lemon for brightness, more salt if necessary.
• Dish up and top with a drizzle of olive oil, some Aleppo pepper and the rest of the walnuts.
  2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, Aleppo pepper

Roasting the red peppers (oven method)

• Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
• Place 3 whole red peppers on a baking tray (lining it will save you scrubbing).
• Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning them a couple of times, until the skins are blistered and blackened in places and the peppers have collapsed a little.
• Tip the hot peppers into a bowl and cover tightly with clingfilm. Leave 10-15 minutes to steam - this is what makes peeling easy.
• Peel off the skins, remove the stems and seeds, and keep any juices that collect in the bowl (flavour!) to lighten the dip if necessary. Or add keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days and add to salds, stews curries, whatever you fancy. Those juices are sweet and amazing.
• Pat the peppers fairly dry before blitzing if you want a thicker muhammara. If you like it looser, use a spoonful of the collected juices.

Direct flame (gas hob or BBQ)

• Put the whole peppers straight on the flame (no oil).
• Turn with tongs every minute or so until the skin is blistered and blackened all over.
• Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly, and steam 10–15 minutes.
• Peel, deseed, and keep any juices.

In a dry cast-iron skillet or heavy pan (works on electric/induction too)

• Heat the pan until very hot.
• Add whole peppers (no oil), and char on all sides, turning often.
• If they’re charring but not softening, turn the heat down slightly and cover the pan for a few minutes to help them steam/soften.
• Bowl + cover to steam, then peel and deseed.

Under the grill (broiler)

• Place peppers on a tray close to the heat.
• Grill, turning, until well blistered and blackened.
• Steam, peel, deseed.