Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's Turkish Walnut-Garlic Spread with Hot & Sweet Peppers & Pomegranate Syrup

Mary Vincent & Chef Cindy Pawlcyn

Chef Cindy Pawlcyn, owner of Brassica Napa California, prepared a gourmet Mediterranean and Turkish Lunch during the California Walnut Tour.
Here's her recipe for Turkish Walnut-Garlic Spread with Hot and Sweet Peppers and Pomegranate Syrup.
Also enjoy the short videos of her Brassica outdoor fireplace and wines served as well as Lunch photos below featuring:
-The Garden
-Persian Spiced Walnuts & Walnut Garlic Spread
-Dolma-Walnuts (in place of pine nuts), fennel pollen, and mint stuffed grape leaves
-Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Paprika & Aleppo Pepper Sizzle
-Vegetarian Pasta
-Dessert and Coffee

Ingredients
2 large sweet red peppers (12 ounces)
1 tablespoon water
2/3 cup lightly toasted California walnuts
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
2/3 cup toasted sourdough bread crumbs
1 or 2 red jalapenos, seeded and minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground cumin seeds
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon pomegranate syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation
Roast peppers over a grill or gas flame, turning frequently until charred all over. Seal 10 minutes in a plastic bag, peel, seed, and chop. In a food processor, mix chopped peppers with 1 tablespoon of water. Process to a moist paste. Set aside.

Pound walnuts with garlic in a mortar. Stir in bread crumbs and jalapenos. Continue pounding until all ingredients are blended. Mix in the pureed peppers. Gradually mix in the olive oil and season with cumin, red pepper flakes, pomegranate syrup, and lemon juice (use additional lemon juice if pomegranate syrup is unavailable).

Taste and adjust with salt and lemon juice. Let stand several hours or overnight for flavors to blend and mature. Serve with croutons or on flatbread wedges or crackers.

About 1 ¾ cups, serves 12 (2 tbsp each)
Nutrition information per serving: 100 calories, 2g protein, 5g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 9g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 4g monounsaturated fat, 3g polyunsaturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 19mg sodium
Recipe Courtesy of Chef Cindy Pawlcyn

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All California Walnut Harvest 2011 Stories and Videos by Gratitude Gourmet
1. Dr Roizen speaks on US Health, Disease Reversal, Genes & US Economic Competitiveness
2. Dean and Deluca's Chef Touhy’s Walnut Emulsion Recipe
3. Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's Turkish Walnut-Garlic Spread with Hot & Sweet Peppers & Pomegranate Syrup
4. California Walnut Orchard Visit - Farmer Introduction - Walnut Shaker
5. Chef Todd Humphries Recipes: Celery Salad & Walnut Bread Pudding
6. Videos: Trefethen Winery Stories - California Walnut Harvest