Best Masai Mara African Red Pepper Spread Recipes

MASAI MARA (AFRICAN RED PEPPER SPREAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F.
• Using your hands, coat peppers with a little olive oil.
• Place cut side up on a baking sheet.
• Sprinkle garlic over peppers.
• Roast until they begin to blacken, about 10 minutes.
• Turn and roast until other side begins to blacken, about 10 minutes more.
• Cool, remove skin, and cut into strips.
• Place peppers, garlic, pecans, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, cumin, sugar, chilies, salt and pepper into a food processor.
• Puree until smooth.
• Pour in remaining olive oil and continue processing until mixture is smooth and glossy.
• Serve with freshly baked bread.

AJVAR (ROASTED RED PEPPER SPREAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to broil. Halve each pepper, discarding stems and seeds. Place peppers, cut side down, on an old baking sheet or one lined with foil.
• Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and score with a knife, drizzle it with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and a little salt and place it on a second baking sheet.
• Place one of the oven racks roughly 3 to 4 inches below the heat; place peppers on this rack. The eggplant should sit on a lower rack.
• Broil the peppers and eggplant, turning the peppers occasionally until they are well roasted on all sides, roughly 15 to 20 minutes. The eggplant may be done first; if so, remove it and set it aside to cool. To test eggplant for doneness press on it with a fork to make sure it's soft all the way through. I use an an outdoor grill to cook the peppers and eggplant, no oil. I make sure most of the skin on the peppers are blackened.
• When you remove the peppers from the oven, place them in a bowl, sprinkle them with a little water, and cover with a clean dishcloth. Leave it for about 10 minutes. This step steams and lifts the skins, making it easy to peel the peppers once they've cooled. (Another method to loosen skins is to place the peppers in a paper sack, fold over to close and leave it for 15 minutes).
• While waiting for the red pepper skin to lift. Use a large spoon to remove the pulp of the eggplant, leaving the skin behind. Discard the thickest seeds, but don't get nit-picky. Put eggplant in a food processor or a blender (I use a stick blender in a deep bowl) with olive oil and smashed and chopped garlic cloves. Pulse the eggplant a few times so that it's chopped with the other ingredients but not totally pureed. Put this in a bowl and set aside.
• Once peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them with your fingers or a knife. Add peppers to the food processor or blender and pulse 5 to 8 times to chop coarsely. Add the eggplant mixture to the chopped peppers, season to taste with salt, pepper, vinegar and dried chili flakes, pulse 3 or 4 times to mix.
• If you wish, garnish it with more finely diced garlic and a few scattered basil leaves. Serve ajvar with toasted bread slices drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.

CHEDDAR CHEESE, RED PEPPER, HORSERADISH SPREAD

Steps:

• Rinse, drain, pat dry, and finely chop red peppers.
• Stir all ingredients into a bowl until combined well.

TURKISH RED PEPPER SPREAD

Steps:

• Toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
• Adjust seasoning with more lemon juice and salt, if desired.

MUHAMMARA (RED PEPPER AND WALNUT SPREAD)

Steps:

• Combine pepper, scallions, lemon juice, cumin, salt, 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 4 tablespoons olive oil and all but 2 of the walnuts in a food processor and purée until mostly smooth.
• Add 4 tablespoons bread crumbs and pulse to combine. If mixture is still too loose to hold its shape, add remaining bread crumbs and pulse again. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes.
• Scrape spread into a bowl and make a well in the center with the back of a spoon. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes in the well. Crush the reserved walnuts between your fingers and sprinkle over the top.

SMOKY ROASTED RED PEPPER SPREAD

Steps:

• Shred the cheddar and gouda cheeses in a food processor.
• Add remaining ingredients and process until combined.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SPREAD (FOR CANNING)

Steps:

• Roast red peppers under broiler or on grill until skin is charred.
• Place in a paper bag and fold over the top of the bag.
• Let cool in bag 15 minutes.
• Roast tomatoes, garlic and onion under broiler or on grill for 10-15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and place tomatoes in a paper bag, fold over top and let cool for 15 minutes.
• Peel garlic and onion.
• Finely mince garlic and set aside.
• Finely mince onion: measure 1/4 cup and set aside.
• Peel and seed peppers and tomatoes.
• Puree in a food processor or blender.
• Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to prevent sticking.
• Reduce heat and simmer until spread thickens.
• Ladle hot spread into hot half pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
• Adjust two-piece caps and process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

EVERYDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Cream together butter and sugar.
• Add eggs, beating in 1 at a time.
• Stir in vanilla and grate in a little fresh nutmeg.
• Combine dry ingredients (except powdered sugar) together in a separate bowl.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir in part of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then add some of the milk, then stir in more of the flour mixture, repeating until everything has been added, beating after each addition by hand.
• Pour into a greased cake pan (square 9inch) and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until cake tests done.
• Let cool, cut into squares, and dust with powdered sugar before serving.