Two Lebanese dips: Muhammara and Baba Ghanouj

Two weeks ago my mother and I had a special dinner to make for a group of clients in my family's restaurant at the railway station of Baflo, Groningen. At our pizzeria we sell mostly pizza's and pasta's, but sometimes our guests have specific requests, like a Lebanese meal. My mother and I discovered this kitchen for the first time a couple of years ago, when we were on a trip to Madrid, mainly to visit the Sorolla museum. Sorolla is one of my biggest heroes in art history and he has greatly influenced the way I paint now. Mum and I were staying at the Cat's Party Hostel and while strolling through the neighbourhood we found a Lebanese restaurant and, attracted by the partly vegan menu, decided to check it out. The interior was atrocious, but the food was so incredibly nice that we returned two more times, almost forgetting that we were in Spain and we were supposed to try some Spanish restaurants as well. The host was very kind and attentive and he kindly helped us with the pronunciation of the colourful dishes he brought us. "Mu-HAmmara!" he would proudly say. That dip was actually my favourite, but I also immensely enjoyed the baba ghanouj, hummus, falafel, fattoush salad and red lentil soup with cumin. Once we were home again, we tried and tried reproducing the same taste explosions we found in that restaurant in Madrid, but it wasn't until my mother bought The Taste of Beirut by Joumana Accad that we could stop looking for the right recipe. Her recipes are absolutely foolproof! I have used them to make two delicious Lebanese dips for our special guests and only changed the amount of garlic, which I think was too big. It is quite a lot of work making these two smokey dishes, but I promise it is worth it. Because I had to make such a big amount it took me all morning, even though my boyfriend helped me with the roasting (charring) of the peppers and eggplants on the gas stove. Of course you could always decide to put the vegetables in the oven instead, but you won't get the smokey flavour that makes these dips so special. Muhammara (red pepper and walnut dip) Ingredients, serves 4 - 3 red bell peppers - 1 small onion, roughly cut - 1 big garlic clove, crushed - 65g walnuts - 45g plain bread crumbs - 1 tsp ground cumin - 1 tsp smoked paprika - 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses - 1 tsp salt - 120mL extra vergine olive oil Cover your stove with aluminium foil, or you will have a complete mess. Wash the peppers and place them right on your stove top. Because I had to do such a big amount of peppers and eggplants, I arranged them at the side of the burner, but the vegetables will blacken more evenly if you put them on top of the burner. Your burners should be turned to the highest setting and the peppers should be set directly on the flame. Turn them every now and then, until all the skin is blackened. Put the peppers in a plastic bag filled with a glass of water, shake them a bit and close tightly for 10 minutes. Because of the steaming process, the skin will loosen. After the peppers have cooled down a bit, peel them under running water, cut them, remove the stem and the seeds. Place the peppers and all the other ingredients in a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and thick. Taste it, for you might want to adjust the seasoning to your personal preferences. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Serve cold with a garnish of pomegranate arils or whatever you want! Sahtayn! Baba ghanouj (smoked eggplant dip) Ingredients, serves 4 - 750g eggplant - 1 garlic clove, crushed - juice of one medium lemon - 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses - 60mL tahini - salt, to taste - extra vergine olive oil - pomegranate arils, to garnish Blacken the eggplants like I did with the peppers in the recipe above. Make sure they are all dark, blistered and soft. Transfer to a colander, under which you have put a bowl. Let them cool, remove the stem and peel them under running water. Put them in a sieve and mash them a bit. Drain for 30 minutes, then transfer to a food processor together with the garlic, tahini, salt, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. Process until you have a smooth mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle some olive oil on top and garnish with pomegranate arils. Sahtayn!