I am a damn fool for a good sauce. While I can usually be contented by the old lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt trick, sometimes you need something more luxurious. Muhammara, a sauce that originated in Syria, is traditionally made with walnuts, breadcrumbs and pomegranate molasses along with the roasted red peppers. I had none of the above the first time I made the dish and thus created a California girls' version of this ancient spread. I substituted almonds for the walnuts, which I think lends enough sweetness to make up for the lack of molasses. As for the breadcrumbs, I am always happy to throw them out of a recipe, because it is one of those steps that is actually three steps in one. And really, unless you're making meatballs, they don't do squat. Instead, I hit the spices hard - cumin, smoked Spanish paprika and garlic.