Spiced walnut and red pepper dip (acuka)

Packed full of flavour and goodness, this spread is very easy to make. Enjoy it as part of a breakfast platter, spread over bread, or as a side to grills and pasta.

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Acuka is a very moreish breakfast dip, popular throughout Türkiye, derived from the Georgian-Abkhazian spread known as adjika or ajika. The Turkish version, of which there are many variations across the country, differs in including both tomato purée (paste) and biber salçası (red pepper paste). There are similarities, also, with muhammara (or cevizli biber, as it is called in my hometown, Antakya), though that does not include garlic traditionally.

Ingredients

• 200 g (7 oz) shelled walnuts
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp double concentrated tomato purée (paste)
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp biber salçası (red pepper paste)
• 3 medium garlic cloves, grated
• 4½ tbsp (90 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• pul biber, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Blitz the walnuts in food processor until they are the size of half a pine nut. Take care not to overprocess; you want the dip to have some texture.
2. Place in a bowl, reserving a tablespoon for garnishing, and combine with the tomato purée, biber salçası, garlic, 4 tablespoons of the extra olive oil, the cumin and dried oregano, to form a chunky paste. Season to taste, bearing mind that the biber salçası is quite salty.
3. Spread the dip over a serving plate. Spoon the reserved crushed walnuts over the centre. Drizzle with the remaining extra virgin olive oil and serve with sprinkle of pul biber, if you wish.

Try serving this as part of a Turkish breakfast plate (Kahvaltı tabağı).

Note

I often have a tub of Acuka in the refrigerator. Kept covered, it will keep for 4–5 days. It can also be made with other nuts, such as hazelnuts.

This is an edited extract from Istanbul by Özlem Warren (Quadrille, AU$55). Photography: Sam A. Harris.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.