Red Zoug
Ingredients
- 1 c Grapeseed oil
- 2 ea. Red Bell Peppers, large, stemmed and seeded, cut into 8 pieces
- 8 ea. Fresno Chiles, stemmed and seeded, cut in half
- 1 T plus 1 tsp. Ground Paprika
- 1 tsp. Ground Turmeric
- ¼ tsp. Ground Cloves
- 1 tsp. Ground Green Cardamom
- ½ tsp. Ground Cumin
- 2 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 3 ea. Garlic Cloves, grated with a microplane
- 1 T plus 1 tsp. Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 T Packed Cilantro leaves, chopped
PREPARATION
Add the oil to a large sauté pan and place on the stove over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bell peppers and chiles and fry while continuously stirring for about 10 minutes until the peppers start to blister and darken in color. If at any time the peppers start to burn, decrease the heat slightly. Remove the peppers and chiles from the oil, set aside and let cool.
Add the cooled fried peppers and chiles and the paprika, turmeric, cloves, cardamom, cumin, salt, garlic and lemon juice to a food processor and blend, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, when necessary, until the mixture is the consistency of a chunky puree; about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool, then add the cilantro and stir to combine.
Adapted from “Bavel: Modern Recipes inspired by the Middle East,” by Ori Menashe and Genieve Gergis.
Bavel, Los Angeles from Food Fanatics® Magazine