Red pepper paste is one of those Levantine staples that works in cooked dishes, pastries and sandwiches. You can make it hot or sweet depending on the peppers you choose.
Ingredients
- 4 kg red Aleppo peppers, hot or sweet according to preference
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt
Method
- Clean the red peppers and remove the cores and seeds. If you want a very hot paste, you can leave some seeds in. If you do not want heat, use sweet red peppers.
- Process the peppers very finely in a food processor or any suitable machine. Wear gloves when handling hot peppers so they do not irritate your hands.
- Put the finely processed peppers over low heat and stir from time to time so they do not stick.
- After they have been simmering for about 1 hour, add the 1/2 cup olive oil. Continue cooking over low heat until the mixture becomes very thick and most of the water has evaporated, stirring regularly.
- About 30 minutes before turning off the heat, add a little salt, taste, and adjust so the flavor is concentrated.
- If you have a sunny place, spread the mixture on a tray and leave it in the sun for 2 days. This gives it a particularly good flavor.
- If sun-drying is not possible, leave it for a day in a well-ventilated place, or dry it thoroughly on the stove so it can be stored once cooled.
- When the pepper paste has cooled, put it in a jar and cover the surface with oil, or divide it into bags and keep it refrigerated or frozen for longer storage.
Use it in cooked dishes, pastries and sandwiches. Enjoy 🙂
What red peppers actually add
Red peppers are rich in vitamin C and carotenoids, and hot peppers contain capsaicin, a compound with measurable physiological effects. Source.
A recent meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials found small reductions in total cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure with chili pepper or capsaicin interventions. Larger trials are still needed, but the effect is measurable rather than just folklore. Review.
So a spoonful of red pepper paste adds more than flavor: it brings plant compounds into the dish without needing animal fat or animal products to make food taste rich.
Try it in our pumpkin fatayer, raw-style lentil kibbeh, or muhammara manakish.
