By Sidonie Maroon, The Food Co-op Culinary Educator, abluedotkitchen.com

Follow Sidonie on The Food Co-op’s Facebook group Cooking with the Co-op

Pomegranate Love Story

One winter, when my son was young, we sat with company around the table eating pomegranates. The adults were deep in conversation, while he quietly sat digging out seeds. I went to bed early, and in the morning when I went into the kitchen to build a fire, spelled out, on a plate, was—

”I Love You”

It’s pomegranate season, but do we love them? For most of us, not yet, but maybe with more exposure and experience, we will. It helps to know how to use them and have ideas and recipes at hand.

The Cookbook to Gift

On my top ten cookbook list is “Food of Life — ancient Persian and modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies” by Najmieh Manglij. If you are looking for a present to inspire the Cook in your life, Najmieh knows Persian cuisine, and has adapted traditional recipes to the tastes and techniques of the West. If you want to delve into deliciousness, then this is your book.

Pomegranates abound in Persian cooking and “Food of Life” has a dozen recipes. I’ve tried several and recommend the pistachio and pomegranate meatballs.

Wondrous Ingredient— Pomegranate Molasses

Once when cooking up a Persian feast for the multitudes, I sent my husband off to buy more pomegranate molasses. After a while, he returned with a bottle of pomegranate juice and another of blackstrap molasses. He actually wasn’t far off, but I had to laugh. Pomegranate molasses is the reduced juice with sugar added.

A key ingredient in many Middle Eastern dishes, this thick, tart syrup is simple to make from 100% pomegranate juice.

Pomegranate Molasses

4 cups pomegranate juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Combine the pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan.

2. Simmer, stirring occasionally at first to dissolve the sugar, until syrupy, about 50 minutes.

3. Cool for about 30 minutes, then pour into a glass jar to cool completely. If your molasses thickens too much while cooling, just add a little water to thin it to a pourable consistency. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Seeding a Pomegranate

To easily seed a pomegranate, cut it in half with a sharp knife. Hold each half over a bowl and thump the skin with a wooden spoon, and the arils will loosen. Alternatively, break each half into a large bowl of cold water. The membranes will float and the seeds will sink, making it easy to separate them.

Freeze the Seeds

Whole fruits will keep for several weeks in a crisper drawer, or about ten days on your countertop. I’d use the seeds by themselves within a week, but they freeze beautifully and will keep for up to a year. However, when thawed, they’ll quickly turn to mush, so add them frozen to whatever you’re making.

Try this!

Mulled Pomegranate Punch

Serves 4

4 cups pomegranate juice. I use 100% juice but variations would work

4 cups apple cider

2 cinnamon sticks

4 allspice berries

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Bring to a simmer and mull for 20 minutes. Strain and serve. Sweeten more if needed.

Pistachio and Pomegranate Meatballs

Makes 24-30 meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 ½ cups shelled finely chopped pistachios

¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon toasted and freshly ground cumin

2 teaspoons toasted and freshly ground coriander

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 lbs ground turkey

3 tablespoons flax meal

Glaze

¾ cup pomegranate molasses

¼ cup honey

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Garnish

½ cup fresh pomegranate arils

Chopped pistachios

Mint sprigs

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F

1. Add all meatball ingredients to the ground turkey and mix.

2. Make into tablespoon sized balls

3. Mix the glaze, making sure that there’s a delicate balance between sweet and sour flavors.

4. Bake meatballs, evenly spaced, on a parchment lined baking sheet for 6 minutes, brush thickly with glaze and continue to cook for another 5-6 minutes or until they’re clear of any pink color inside.

5. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Green Olive, Walnut and Pomegranate Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

Salad

1 ½ cups large pitted green olives, coarsely chopped

¼ cup pomegranate seeds

½ cup green onions, thinly sliced, include green parts

1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 cup baby spinach or other tender greens

Dressing

4 tablespoons walnut or salad oil

3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Using a small food processor, whisk/blend the dressing together until smooth.

2. Toast the walnuts and coarsely chop. Chop the olives and combine salad ingredients, reserving the pomegranate seeds. Dress the salad, and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before serving, so the flavors meld. Sprinkle seeds over top before serving.

Green Cabbage and Pomegranate Salad

Makes 4 cups

This crunchy and colorful pickled cabbage is a wonderful side dish for fish or chicken.

Ingredients

1.5 lbs green cabbage, 8 cups, core removed and finely shredded

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Dressing

1 tablespoon runny raw honey

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Toppings

1 tablespoon fennel seed

½ cup sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup pomegranate seeds

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sea salt, if needed

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the salt over the cabbage and massage it in for 2 minutes.

2. Rinse the cabbage and drain in a colander to remove most of the salt.

3. Add the dressing ingredients to the cabbage and mix. Cover and refrigerate the pickle for 1-3 hour.

4. Before serving, heat the olive oil in a saute pan, using medium high heat, and fry the fennel and sunflower seeds until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Add the toasted seeds, pomegranate seeds and freshly ground black pepper at the table. This pickle keeps well, even with the sunflower seeds, although they’ll lose their crunch.

Turkey Köfte Pomegranate Stew

Serves 4

I like the onions to sweeten and even add a little date sugar at the end to counterbalance the pomegranate juice. With the flavorful köfte, which is another name for meatballs, and a little heat from red chilies, this dish hits the spot. Serve it alone or ladled over rice.

Ingredients

For köfte (meatballs)

1 lb ground turkey

½ teaspoon whole allspice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

1 teaspoon dried garlic granules

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

For stew

2 cups 100% pomegranate juice

2 cups water

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large red onions, halved and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons date sugar, or brown whole cane sugar

½ teaspoon hot red pepper powder, or ¼ teaspoon cayenne (Korean is a suitable substitute for Turkish)

Sea salt to taste

Garnish

½ cup pomegranate seeds

½ cup parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Read the recipe and gather all ingredients and equipment. Preheat a large heavy-bottomed skillet on the stovetop. Prep the onions and garlic.

2. Saute the onions: Turn the heat under the skillet to medium high. Add olive oil, let it warm up, add the onions, stir and cover with a lid for 5 minutes, allowing the onions to sweat. Take the lid off, stir and continue to cook the onions for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t let them burn. Reduce the heat if needed, but allow them to sweeten.

3. While you are waiting for the onions to cook, make the köfte: measure the spices and salt together and grind them into a powder using a spice or coffee grinder. Add the spice mix to the ground turkey and mix everything together until combined, but don’t overwork the meat. Divide the meat into two large balls and continue to divide until you have 12 balls of about 2 tablespoons each. Briefly, using your palms roll each ball into a torpedo shape and lay on a plate.

4. Add garlic and sugar: after the onions are soft, add the sugar and garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

5. Now it’s time to simmer the köfte in the pomegranate broth: lay the köfte on top of the onion mixture. Pour the juice and water over the meatballs. Put a lid on and simmer for 12-15 minutes at a medium low heat, about 215F. You want to see bubbles rising, but slowly. Open a köfte to check for doneness. You shouldn’t see any red, but it should still be moist. Remember to taste, adding the red chili powder and salt if needed.

6. Garnish with parsley and pomegranate seeds.