On the menu for February 23, 2005
From: Diane spangen @ shaw.ca
Mailing List: clipping-cooking
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 11:25:51 -0600
Subject: [Clipping-Cooking] Boston Herald: Seeds of Destiny...Pomegranate
Seeds of destiny: Allure of the pomegranate stretches back generations - for
good reason
By Jane Dornbusch
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
The Boston Herald
One fruit of fall is guaranteed to elicit oohs and ahhs at the table, and
here's a hint: It's not an apple. Nothing wrong with apples, mind you, but
they don't boast a scarlet, leathery skin that bursts open to reveal
hundreds of jewel-like, juice-filled, sweet-tart arils, ready to sprinkle
like tiny rubies over salads, side dishes, entrees and desserts.
That, of course, would be the pomegranate. Long revered in myth and
religion, pomegranates are exotic and stunningly beautiful, not to mention
tasty. And as if all that weren't enough, recent research has revealed that
pomegranates confer special health benefits.
``Pomegranate juice is full of polyphenal antioxidants,'' explains Fiona
Posell, of Pom Wonderful, California's largest grower of pomegranates. In
the past decade or so, the company has sponsored research that resulted in
the publication of six peer-reviewed papers documenting pomegranates' health
benefits. The research found that pomegranate juice beats such other
antioxidant darlings as red wine, green tea and blueberry juice. Pomegranate
juice is good for your heart and may even have anti-aging properties.
All well and good, but lots of folks don't even know how to eat a
pomegranate, never mind juice one. Uncoincidentally, Pom has leapt into the
marketplace with bottled pomegranate juice. The product was launched in
southern California a year ago and has recently been introduced in the
Boston area.
If you love the taste of pomegranate, or covet its health benefits, that's
good news, because the fresh fruit has a very limited season. Early
varieties may show up by late August; the last ones - the Wonderful
variety - are gone after December.
Maybe that season goes toward explaining why pomegranates are one of the
foods associated with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, which falls in late
September or early October. (This year, it begins at sundown on Friday.) But
the fruit is weighted with symbolic significance, too. The arils (what we
lay people call the seeds) are said to number 613 - the number of good deeds
a person should perform in a lifetime, according to Judaic law. In ``The
Book of Jewish Food'' (Alfred Knopf, 1996), author Claudia Roden recalls
eating pomegranates to celebrate Rosh Hashana in her native Egypt: ``We
thought pomegranates would cause our family to bear many children. We ate
the seeds sprinkled with orange-blossom water and sugar.'' Christian,
Buddhist and Islam traditions also connect pomegranates with fertility. (Just think of all those seeds.)
Though it's associated with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures, the
pomegranate has spread far and wide. Pom's Posell grew up in Yorkshire,
England - about as far from pomegranate country as you can get. But she
recalls eating the arils with a toothpick as a schoolchild and, says her
mother, from England's Lake District, she used to open them with a pin when
she was a child. ``They were familiar to me and my friends.''
Native Californians, says Posell, sometimes recall picking them as
children; if you grew up in a pomegranate-eating household, as many people
of Jewish, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Hispanic heritage did, you
probably know how to handle them. Still, they remain unfamiliar to many in
this country. Lots of folks, faced with a pomegranate, respond with a
resounding ``Huh?''
It's definitely different from other fruit. To get through the leathery
skin, the best method is to score, not slice; slicing would result in a
flood of juice that's messy and very staining. Score the fruit in quarters
through the skin and gently twist it apart. Pom recommends doing this
underwater, which cuts down on mess. Inside are hundreds of juicy red arils,
faceted like tiny rubies; this is the part you eat. Each aril contains a
small white seed, which is edible but which some prefer to spit out.
And what do you do with the edible arils? Eat them out of hand, of course,
but also try sprinkling them on salads and desserts, or mix them into sweet
or savory dishes. They can function a bit like dried cranberries, but with
more juice and snap.
Posell says her company's mission is ``to demystify the pomegranate.'' But
part of its cachet lies in mystery. Opening a pomegranate, unlike slicing an
apple, is an event. Here are some ideas for using the other red, round, fall
fruit.
@ @ @ @ @
POMEGRANATE RICE PILAF WITH PINE NUTS
1/2 c. pomegranate seeds
1 package (6 oz.) rice pilaf mix
1/2 c. scallions, sliced
1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted
2 T. shredded parmesan cheese
In a medium saucepan, prepare rice mix according to package directions. Stir
in pomegranate seeds, scallions, pine nuts and cheese during the last 5
minutes of cooking. Makes 4 servings.
Recipe courtesy of Pom Wonderful.
_____
@ @ @ @ @
STEAMED SPINACH SALAD WITH WALNUTS AND POMEGRANATE SEEDS
1 lb. spinach
Salt
1 T. vinegar
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed in a garlic press
1/4 t. cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 scallions, chopped
A few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
Handful of pomegranate seeds
5 walnut halves, broken up into pieces
Wash the spinach leaves and remove only hard stems (keep thin ones). Drain
and squeeze the excess water out with your hands. Put in a large pan,
sprinkle with a very little salt, and steam with the lid on until the leaves
collapse into a soft mass. Drain.
Mix the vinegar and oil with the garlic and cayenne, and dress the spinach.
Arrange on a large, flat plate, pulling the spinach apart, and garnish with
sprinklings of scallions, cilantro, pomegranate seeds and walnut seeds.
Makes 4-6 servings.
From ``The Book of Jewish Food,'' by Claudia Roden (Alfred A. Knopf, 1996).
_____
@ @ @ @ @
POMEGRANATE YOGURT DIP
2 c. chilled plain yogurt
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 c. pomegranate juice
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 t. salt
Seeds from 1 large pomegranate
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, pomegranate juice, scallions,
cilantro and salt. Gently fold in all but 2 T. pomegranate seeds. Place in
serving bowl and garnish with mint and reserved seeds. Makes 2 cups.
Recipe courtesy of the Pomegranate Council.
_____
_______________________________________________
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Please feel free to share list recipes with others, so long as you include the list and poster as a part of the source.
http://www.food-lists.com/lists/archives/clipping-cooking/2003/09/1064597135.php
© 2002 Food-Lists.com - all rights reserved.
Part of the CDKitchen Recipe Network
Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
From: Diane spangen @ shaw.ca
Mailing List: clipping-cooking
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 11:25:51 -0600
Subject: [Clipping-Cooking] Boston Herald: Seeds of Destiny...Pomegranate
Seeds of destiny: Allure of the pomegranate stretches back generations - for
good reason
By Jane Dornbusch
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
The Boston Herald
One fruit of fall is guaranteed to elicit oohs and ahhs at the table, and
here's a hint: It's not an apple. Nothing wrong with apples, mind you, but
they don't boast a scarlet, leathery skin that bursts open to reveal
hundreds of jewel-like, juice-filled, sweet-tart arils, ready to sprinkle
like tiny rubies over salads, side dishes, entrees and desserts.
That, of course, would be the pomegranate. Long revered in myth and
religion, pomegranates are exotic and stunningly beautiful, not to mention
tasty. And as if all that weren't enough, recent research has revealed that
pomegranates confer special health benefits.
``Pomegranate juice is full of polyphenal antioxidants,'' explains Fiona
Posell, of Pom Wonderful, California's largest grower of pomegranates. In
the past decade or so, the company has sponsored research that resulted in
the publication of six peer-reviewed papers documenting pomegranates' health
benefits. The research found that pomegranate juice beats such other
antioxidant darlings as red wine, green tea and blueberry juice. Pomegranate
juice is good for your heart and may even have anti-aging properties.
All well and good, but lots of folks don't even know how to eat a
pomegranate, never mind juice one. Uncoincidentally, Pom has leapt into the
marketplace with bottled pomegranate juice. The product was launched in
southern California a year ago and has recently been introduced in the
Boston area.
If you love the taste of pomegranate, or covet its health benefits, that's
good news, because the fresh fruit has a very limited season. Early
varieties may show up by late August; the last ones - the Wonderful
variety - are gone after December.
Maybe that season goes toward explaining why pomegranates are one of the
foods associated with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, which falls in late
September or early October. (This year, it begins at sundown on Friday.) But
the fruit is weighted with symbolic significance, too. The arils (what we
lay people call the seeds) are said to number 613 - the number of good deeds
a person should perform in a lifetime, according to Judaic law. In ``The
Book of Jewish Food'' (Alfred Knopf, 1996), author Claudia Roden recalls
eating pomegranates to celebrate Rosh Hashana in her native Egypt: ``We
thought pomegranates would cause our family to bear many children. We ate
the seeds sprinkled with orange-blossom water and sugar.'' Christian,
Buddhist and Islam traditions also connect pomegranates with fertility. (Just think of all those seeds.)
Though it's associated with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures, the
pomegranate has spread far and wide. Pom's Posell grew up in Yorkshire,
England - about as far from pomegranate country as you can get. But she
recalls eating the arils with a toothpick as a schoolchild and, says her
mother, from England's Lake District, she used to open them with a pin when
she was a child. ``They were familiar to me and my friends.''
Native Californians, says Posell, sometimes recall picking them as
children; if you grew up in a pomegranate-eating household, as many people
of Jewish, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Hispanic heritage did, you
probably know how to handle them. Still, they remain unfamiliar to many in
this country. Lots of folks, faced with a pomegranate, respond with a
resounding ``Huh?''
It's definitely different from other fruit. To get through the leathery
skin, the best method is to score, not slice; slicing would result in a
flood of juice that's messy and very staining. Score the fruit in quarters
through the skin and gently twist it apart. Pom recommends doing this
underwater, which cuts down on mess. Inside are hundreds of juicy red arils,
faceted like tiny rubies; this is the part you eat. Each aril contains a
small white seed, which is edible but which some prefer to spit out.
And what do you do with the edible arils? Eat them out of hand, of course,
but also try sprinkling them on salads and desserts, or mix them into sweet
or savory dishes. They can function a bit like dried cranberries, but with
more juice and snap.
Posell says her company's mission is ``to demystify the pomegranate.'' But
part of its cachet lies in mystery. Opening a pomegranate, unlike slicing an
apple, is an event. Here are some ideas for using the other red, round, fall
fruit.
@ @ @ @ @
POMEGRANATE RICE PILAF WITH PINE NUTS
1/2 c. pomegranate seeds
1 package (6 oz.) rice pilaf mix
1/2 c. scallions, sliced
1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted
2 T. shredded parmesan cheese
In a medium saucepan, prepare rice mix according to package directions. Stir
in pomegranate seeds, scallions, pine nuts and cheese during the last 5
minutes of cooking. Makes 4 servings.
Recipe courtesy of Pom Wonderful.
_____
@ @ @ @ @
STEAMED SPINACH SALAD WITH WALNUTS AND POMEGRANATE SEEDS
1 lb. spinach
Salt
1 T. vinegar
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed in a garlic press
1/4 t. cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 scallions, chopped
A few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
Handful of pomegranate seeds
5 walnut halves, broken up into pieces
Wash the spinach leaves and remove only hard stems (keep thin ones). Drain
and squeeze the excess water out with your hands. Put in a large pan,
sprinkle with a very little salt, and steam with the lid on until the leaves
collapse into a soft mass. Drain.
Mix the vinegar and oil with the garlic and cayenne, and dress the spinach.
Arrange on a large, flat plate, pulling the spinach apart, and garnish with
sprinklings of scallions, cilantro, pomegranate seeds and walnut seeds.
Makes 4-6 servings.
From ``The Book of Jewish Food,'' by Claudia Roden (Alfred A. Knopf, 1996).
_____
@ @ @ @ @
POMEGRANATE YOGURT DIP
2 c. chilled plain yogurt
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 c. pomegranate juice
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 t. salt
Seeds from 1 large pomegranate
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, pomegranate juice, scallions,
cilantro and salt. Gently fold in all but 2 T. pomegranate seeds. Place in
serving bowl and garnish with mint and reserved seeds. Makes 2 cups.
Recipe courtesy of the Pomegranate Council.
_____
_______________________________________________
Clipping-cooking mailing list
Clipping-cooking @ cooking-lists.com
http://cooking-lists.com/mailman/listinfo/clipping-cooking_cooking-lists.com
Please feel free to share list recipes with others, so long as you include the list and poster as a part of the source.
http://www.food-lists.com/lists/archives/clipping-cooking/2003/09/1064597135.php
© 2002 Food-Lists.com - all rights reserved.
Part of the CDKitchen Recipe Network
Privacy Policy - Terms of Service
