If you'd like to roast peppers at home instead of using a store-bought jar, turn the burner up as high as it will go and place the pepper directly on the flame. Turn the pepper with a pair of tongs until it's almost completely blackened. Once roasted, place the pepper into a bowl and cover with cling wrap to loosen the skin. After 5 minutes or so, the pepper will be cool enough to touch and you can then remove the skin with your fingers or a fork. I don't like to get rid of the entire skin as some of the blackened bits help deepen the flavor with their smokiness. You could also broil the peppers in an oven for 15-20 minutes for similar results. For reference, one medium-sized bell pepper weighs approximately 100 grams, so use two bell peppers for the original recipe.

Check the tomato paste you're using before adding the entire amount of salt listed on the recipe card. Some tomato pastes, like most Turkish ones, include a lot of salt so this may throw off the seasoning. If that's the case, start low and add more salt if needed.

I highly recommend using the BEST extra-virgin olive oil you have access to for making muhammara. Our family has a membership for the freshly-pressed olive oil club (not sponsored) and I always open a new bottle for dips like this. Think of olive oil like juice, the longer it sits on store shelves, the less flavor (and polyphenols) it will have! Having said all that, regular EVOO will work too, of course. I just like to make suggestions to make things even more flavorful. 🙂