Muhammara With Leeks And Grains

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Roast the peppers and leeks for an hour on a baking tray, turning once, until they are blackened on the skins.

Toast walnuts in a dry frying pan for 5 mins, tossing once or twice. Set aside a handful for garnish.

Meanwhile, boil the spelt in salted water for 20 mins, drain and pour it back into the pot. Add the drained tin of chickpeas, a drizzle of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.

When the leeks and peppers come out of the oven, place them in a bowl and cover with cling film. This will steam them and help remove the skin. Peel the skin off of the peppers and remove the seeds. Save two peeled peppers to the side.

To make the muhammara, add the peeled peppers (except the two extra ones), walnuts, tomato purée, olive oil, chilli flakes, cumin, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, ¼ tbsp salt and sumac, if using, to a food processor. Blend until you have a paste that’s not quite totally smooth. Taste and add more lemon, salt or chilli if you like.

Take the leeks and peel off the burnt skin, about 2-3 of the outer layers. Slice them in half lengthways and open them up so that the layers lie flat. Slice a few times lengthways again and pull them apart to create ribbons. Set aside in a bowl.

Take the two remaining peppers and slice them into long pieces, a similar width to your leeks. Add them to the bowl of leeks and season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss to mix them all together well.

To serve, lay a generous portion of muhammara onto a plate, spoon on the grains and chickpeas, then lay the leeks and peppers over the top. Finish with some chopped parsley and the remaining walnuts.