Who knows how to pronounce it? All you need to know is that it’s delicious. Roasted red peppers, walnuts, garlic, and spices. It’s perfect for dipping with toasted pita or crackers, or as a spread for sandwiches. Muhammara is a Syrian dip, so when you make it for your friends, make sure to tell them that, and when they ask you where Syria is, just smile and walk away.

This recipe is pretty simple. All you have to do is roast 3-4 red peppers in a 425 degree oven for about thirty minutes, or until charred. Then cover them with foil and let steam for ten minutes to help peel the skin. In the meantime, prepare the other ingredients: garlic, cumin powder, cayenne, pepper, and parsley or cilantro (whichever you prefer). You’ll need to dry toast the walnuts in a pan over medium heat until fragrant and golden. Once the peppers are done, simply peel away the skin and toss them into a blender with the rest of the ingredients, puree until smooth and serve with pita or crackers.

Ingredients (serves 4)

3-4 red peppers

olive oil

salt

pepper

1/2 cup walnuts

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

handful cilantro or parsley

Method

Pre-heat oven to 425. Prepare red peppers by cutting down on all sides, discarding ribs, seeds, and tops. Line on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, toss to coat. Bake for thirty minutes or until charred, remove and cover for ten minutes. In the meantime, peel two cloves of garlic and toast 1/2 cup walnuts over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Once peppers are done, remove skin and place into food processor along with walnuts, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Process to a smooth puree. Taste for seasonings and season with salt and pepper

*Note: Red peppers tend to be sweet so you may need to adjust the level of seasoning to balance out this natural sweetness.

Serve with toasted pita or crackers and enjoy!

handful parsley or cilantro

Everyone had those kids in Spanish class who couldn’t pronounce a single word. They were the same kids who thought Mexico was the only Spanish-speaking country in the world. Infinitely worse, were the instructors: quirky white women who didn’t realize that going to Mexican restaurants and speaking the language didn’t make them any less white than they already were.

When we think of Mexican food, we think of tacos, fajitas, and chile rellenos. We think of spicy sauces and creamy dips. There seems to be a generalization of the cuisine. People throw Mexican-themed parties complete with chips and salsa and guacamole. Ole! But Mexican food isn’t always about tortilla-stuffed foods (although they go perfectly with this recipe).

Pollo a la parilla is a grilled chicken dish that you may or may not find at your local Mexican restaurant. It’s seasoned perfectly, grilled, and served with lots of fried onions.

In order to make this dish, you’ll need to butterfly and flatten your chicken breasts. Sometimes you can find breasts that have already been” butterflied” at your local grocery store. If you can’t, don’t worry, it’s actually very easy. Simply take a sharp knife and cut along the curve of the breast and down the center, until you reach the fold. Don’t cut all the way. You don’t want two separate pieces. You want to open it up like a book.

Now that your chicken is open, cover it with plastic wrap and pound it with a tenderizer to thin it out even further. You want the breast to be no more than 1/4 inch thick.

Season your chicken liberally with a spice mix consisting of salt, pepper, cumin powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, mexican chili powder, and smoked paprika. Then vigorously rub this mixture into your chicken breasts and let marinate for at least thirty minutes.

Cook your chicken on a grill or grill pan at medium-high to high temperature for about 3-4 minutes per side, brushing each side with a thin layer of soy sauce for coloring.

Saute onions in a large fry pan until slightly caramelized, seasoning with cumin, chili powder, and salt. Serve your chicken over a bed of these onions with optional warm tortillas and pico de gallo and enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon mexican chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 medium yellow onions (sliced)

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder (for onions)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (for onions)

salt

Method

Butterfly and flatten chicken breasts as described above. Combine your spices and salt to make the spice mix, and season each breast liberally on BOTH sides. Then massage breasts with your hands to allow spices to penetrate meat. Set aside and let marinate for at least thirty minutes. In the meantime, slice two medium yellow onions and cook with vegetable oil over medium-high temperature in large pan. Season liberally with salt, cumin powder, and chili powder. Cook for about 5-8 minutes or until softened and slightly caramelized. Set aside.

Heat grill pan or grill to high temperature. In a small bowl, add two tablespoons vegetable oil and two tablespoons soy sauce. Mix vigorously to combine and then paint one side of chicken breasts. Place this very breast onto your grill with the “painted” side down. Then paint the top side. Flip chicken after 3-4 minutes, or until nicely browned on one side. Flip one last time if needed for no more than a minute. You don’t want to overcook your chicken. Make a slit if you’re not sure. Once meat is no longer pink in the center, it’s cooked!

Serve chicken over onions with optional tortillas, pico de gallo, and whatever toppings you desire.

Whatever pilgrims decided to drop their bags in the Midwest and stay there were completely off the mark. It’s no wonder why we’re only known for farming and Oprah. Growing up, I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the Midwest. We’re landlocked, surrounded by small towns, and subjected to bad weather. But at least we have corn!

Okay, so it’ s not exactly in season anymore, and it doesn’t hold a candle to seventy degree weather and celebrity sightings, but corn is is delicious, and Midwesterners should be proud of it!

My Mexican corn soup is a clear example of this. It’s rich, spicy, and comforting. Don’t have fresh corn? Doesn’t matter. Frozen corn is a worthy substitute.

Begin by preparing your vegetables and aromatics. Here, we’ll be using garlic, lime zest, cumin seeds, cilantro stems, jalapenos, onions, and tomatoes. If you’re wondering about the cilantro “stems”, don’t worry, they’re chopped finely and have way more flavor than the leaves.

The beauty of this soup is that it’s blended, so apart from the cilantro stems, you don’t need to chop anything finely. Start by frying some cumin seeds in a little vegetable oil in a large soup or stock pot, at medium-high heat. Once the seeds begin to sputter, add in your onions. Cook until translucent before adding garlic, lime zest, jalapenos, and cilantro stems. Then cook another couple of minutes before adding tomatoes. Once tomatoes have cooked, you can add the frozen corn.

Add in your corn and some fresh cilantro and begin tossing. Cook this mixture for a couple minutes before adding in your liquid.

Once the soup mixture has cooked, simply ladle into a blender and liquify until a smooth consistency is achieved. Then pour back into soup pot, re-heat, and garnish with green onions. Serve with a drizzle of chili oil and enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

1 2lb bag of frozen corn

3-4 large cloves garlic (smashed)

1 white onion (chopped)

1 large tomato (chopped)

handful cilantro (stems included) finely chopped

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

zest of 1 lime

juice of 1 lime

2-3 jalapeno peppers (chopped)

2 green onions chopped

About 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

4 cups water

salt (about 4 teaspoons, makes alot of soup, or to taste)

pepper (about 1 teaspoon)

Method

In large pot, heat oil and fry cumin seeds until toasted. Add onions, butter, and cumin powder and fry until onions have slightly browned. Next add the garlic and fry for about 2 minutes. Once garlic has slightly browned, add lime zest, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro. Fry for 1-2 minutes before adding tomatoes. Cook tomatoes until softened (about 5-7 minutes). Once tomatoes are cooked, add 2lb bag of corn. Fry until corn is heated through completely before adding your cooking liquid. Add salt and pepper, stir and let simmer until corn is cooked. (About ten minutes) Set aside and cool

Once soup has cooled, transfer to a blender and puree until you achieve a smooth, silky consistency. Squeeze fresh lime juice and fold in chopped green onions and a handful of chopped cilantro. If soup is too thick for your liking, simply add more liquid to thin it.

You may serve with a drizzle of chili oil, or a dollop of sour cream and shredded queso (Mexican cheese).