Who Doesn’t Love A Summer Dip? Muhammara & Guacamole

Muhammara & Guacamole. Or should it be Guacamole & Muhammara? Sounds like an exotic firm of accountants in a quiet Glasgow back street. But nay.

Going back to the title, who doesn't love a dip? Something to nibble with an aperitif. Or, with the fine weather, something to keep your guests occupied as you try, yet again, to get the b****y barbecue to light. One is ubiquitous but often badly made. The other is less well known and, trust me on this, really has the wow factor.

Let's start with the Mexican version. I was taught how to make this by friends with whom I was staying in the San Francisco Bay Area. As with many good things it is simple, deceptively so. Don't be tempted to guddle it up with herbs or, worse still, tomatoes.

As with most recipes, you really do need to taste as you go. Take the quantities as indicative not prescriptive. Finally, a top tip. To get the maximum amount of juice out of a lime, stick it in the microwave for thirty seconds. If it turns out that your avocadoes aren't ripe, change your mind and make something else.

Guacamole

Ingredients

2 ripe avocadoes; 1 clove of garlic, peeled and halved lengthways; juice of about 1 lime (have another one available just in case); quantity of Tabasco or equivalent: salt.

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Rub the garlic all over the surface of the bowl in which you plan to mix your guacamole. Peel and stone the avocadoes and mash them well with a fork. You want a smooth end result with no lumps. Add some lime juice, Tabasco and salt, remembering that you can always add but you can't take away, and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate.

Muhammara

This is a little fiddlier to make, but is well worth it. While you can use a machine to blitz most of the ingredients, do chop the walnuts by hand for a bit of texture. Chilli flakes  can vary enormously  in heat. You may want to use less than stipulated in the recipe. (Though if my late friend Janet were here, she would probably call for double the quantity.)

Ingredients

50g walnuts, finely chopped; 3 red peppers, roasted (see below). (You could get away with pre roasted peppers from a jar); 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed; 1½ tsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes; 50g fresh breadcrumbs; ½ tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp good olive oil, plus extra to drizzle; 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses; salt.

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Roast the peppers in a tray in an oven at 200°C/Mark 6 for 30 – 35 minutes. Don’t worry if the skins blacken – in fact that’s a good thing. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then skin and deseed. (Top tip: if you put the peppers in a plastic bag and shake well, this will loosen the skin and make peeling easier.) Put in a food processor with the garlic, cumin, chilli, breadcrumbs, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. Pulse together, ensuring that some texture still remains. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the walnuts, a couple of large pinches of salt and the olive oil. Adjust from here with some more pomegranate molasses and salt to reach a good balance, remembering that this is intended to be a strong flavour. If you like, drizzle with more oil before serving.

I like to serve these with tortilla chips. Anything crunchy will do but crisps are a bit too fragile for satisfactory scooping. You could use these as a topping for crostini. but don't have the bread too thick.