Roasted red pepper and walnut dip with raw vegetables

Ingredients

0 of 12 out on the counter

• 3 large red bell peppers (492 g, 164 g each), halved and seeded
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cumin seed, toasted and ground
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 6 medium carrots, cut in sticks, for dipping
• 6 medium celery stalks, cut in sticks, for dipping

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 425 °F. Line a sheet pan with foil. Set the pepper halves cut side down and roast 25 to 30 minutes, until the skins are blistered and blackened in spots.
2. 2Move the hot peppers to a bowl, cover it with a plate and leave 10 minutes. The steam loosens the skins. Peel them off, then let the peppers drain in a sieve for 10 minutes so the dip is not watery.
3. 3While the peppers steam, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until they smell nutty. Tip them onto a plate to cool. Toast the cumin seed in the same pan for 1 minute, then grind it fine.
4. 4Put the walnuts, oats, cumin, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder and salt in a food processor. Grind to a coarse meal, about 20 seconds. Add the lemon juice and let it sit 10 minutes so the oats soften.
5. 5Add the drained peppers. Pulse 8 to 10 times, then run the processor and pour the olive oil in a thin stream, until the dip is a thick, spreadable paste with a little texture. Scrape the sides once.
6. 6Taste. If it needs more tang, stir in a little more lemon juice from the bowl; do not add salt. Spoon into a shallow bowl and serve with the carrot and celery sticks.
7. 7Cover leftover dip and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour if the room is above 90 °F). It keeps 5 days in the fridge (our kitchen practice; we hold no published source for it yet).