And you've never heard of Aleppo?

Well, neither had I, though I had heard of the pepper named after Syria's second largest city. So when I heard the name on the radio the other day, I thought of the people involved in the rebellion -- and, in an example of how the tragic relates to the mundane, I thought of the pepper I had purchased a few months ago for some forgotten recipe that was sitting in my pantry. Their pepper. Perhaps it still held its fragrance, which is sort of mildly smoky but nothing like the smoked Spanish pepper, pimenton de la vera, which is delicious and would work well here, too.
So I got out my mini-processor, dumped in some beans and searched the fridge and the pantry for inspiration and voilà! A fresh dip, with hints of Syria and France, in 15 minutes.

Aleppo Pepper White Bean Dip

1-15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed, or the equivalent amount cooked beans
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 T extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp garlic powder (or about 1/4 tsp chopped garlic)
2 tsp chopped parsley
¾ tsp Madeline Kamman blend pepper*, or ground white and black pepper mixed in equal proportions
2 T water
¼ tsp Aleppo pepper, Pimenton de la Vera or other chili powder
½ tsp pink Himalayan (or other high-quality) salt

Blend in mini-blender. Season to taste.

*White and black pepper in equal proportions and allspice equal to about one-sixth of that amount