Balkan Roasted Pepper Walnut Garlic Sauce 🫑✨

Description

Balkan Roasted Pepper Walnut Garlic Sauce is a rich rustic sauce made with smoky roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, garlic, lemon, olive oil, parsley, and sweet paprika. It is creamy without cream, bold without being heavy, and perfect with grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, bread, phyllo pies, fish, chicken, or a mezze-style table.
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Hook ✨
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Smoky roasted peppers, toasted walnuts, garlic, lemon, parsley, and olive oil turn into a bold Balkan sauce that tastes rich, creamy, and deeply homemade. 🫑

Ingredients

• Roasted pepper base 🫑
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• 🫑 450 g roasted red peppers, peeled and drained (3 cups / 1 lb)
• 🌰 120 g walnuts, lightly toasted (1 cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🧄 4 garlic cloves, finely grated (4 cloves / 0.7 oz)
• 🌿 20 g fresh parsley, chopped (½ cup loose / 0.7 oz)
• 🍋 30 ml lemon juice (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🫒 75 ml olive oil (5 tbsp / 2.5 fl oz)
• 🌶️ 5 g sweet paprika (2 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🧂 6 g fine sea salt (1 tsp / 0.2 oz)
• ⚫ 2 g black pepper (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
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• Texture and finish ✨
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• 🍞 35 g fresh breadcrumbs or soft bread center (½ cup / 1.2 oz)
• 🥄 30 ml roasted pepper juice or warm water (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🍯 7 g honey or date syrup, optional (1 tsp / 0.25 oz)
• 🌶️ 1 g chili flakes, optional (½ tsp / 0.03 oz)
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• To serve 🍽️
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• 🍞 Warm flatbread or crusty bread
• 🥔 Roasted potatoes
• 🥗 Grilled vegetables
• 🍗 Chicken, fish, or phyllo pies

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Toast the walnuts 🌰
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3. Place the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast for 4 min, shaking the pan often, until fragrant and lightly golden. Transfer them to a plate and let them cool for 5 min.
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5. 2️⃣ Prepare the peppers 🫑
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7. Pat the roasted peppers dry with paper towel, then roughly chop them. If they are very wet, let them drain for 10 min so the sauce stays thick and creamy.
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9. 3️⃣ Soften the bread 🍞
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11. Place the breadcrumbs or soft bread center in a small bowl with roasted pepper juice or warm water. Leave for 3 min, then press gently with a spoon until softened.
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13. 4️⃣ Blend the sauce 🧄
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15. Add roasted peppers, toasted walnuts, garlic, softened bread, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, sweet paprika, salt, black pepper, honey or date syrup if using, and chili flakes if using to a food processor.
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17. 5️⃣ Make it creamy 🌀
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19. Pulse for 45 sec, scrape down the sides, then blend for another 45 sec until thick and creamy but still slightly rustic. Add 15 ml extra water only if the sauce is too stiff.
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21. 6️⃣ Rest for flavor 🛋
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23. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and let it rest for 20 min at room temperature. This helps the walnuts soften and the garlic, lemon, paprika, and roasted pepper flavor settle together.
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25. 7️⃣ Adjust the balance 🍋
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27. Taste and adjust with a little more lemon juice, salt, olive oil, or chili flakes. The sauce should taste smoky, nutty, bright, and savory.
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29. 8️⃣ Serve rustic ✨
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31. Spoon the sauce into a dark bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with chopped parsley and crushed walnuts, and serve with warm bread, potatoes, grilled vegetables, fish, chicken, or phyllo pies.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 4 min
🛋 Rest: 25 min
⏰ Total: 44 min

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