"Pomegranates are one of the top 10 best foods you can eat. Why? It is super-charged with antioxidants (the natural substance that slows and prevents the cell damage that is linked to many diseases, as well as boosts the body's immune system). According to the United States Department of Agriculture, pomegranate is the only fruit to contain all three major antioxidants: tannins, anthocyanins and ellagic acid. In addition to the rich antioxidants, pomegranates are a good source of potassium, vitamin C, folic acid (beneficial to pregnant women), niacin, iron, calcium, and are a rich source of fiber.
The first recipe is a Poma-Granité. I use this as a fall intermezzo to cleanse the palate between the appetizer and the entrée. You can also use it as a light dessert or as a complement to another dish (such as smoked shellfish, or smoked trout, if you are feeling adventurous).
The second is another seasonal dish that you can apply to seafood, or poultry. The method I selected is with halibut, but you can easily use a chicken breast instead. The recipe is from my contribution to the Delaware North Parks and Resorts Cookbook "Pathways to Plate." It's called pumpkin seed-crusted halibut with pomegranate-citrus relish."
For full recipes follow the link. The one with fish sounds very interesting (but so complicated). I'm going spearfishing tomorrow, wish I could cook...Abu sinn au roummane, what a concept
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The link is not accessible and requires an account.
This is odd Sophia. I tried the link from my blog and it didn't work. Then I tried accessing from the google link, and it worked, and then it started working from my blog. Anyway, I copy pasted it below.
Here comes that all too short of a season for pomegranates.
As kids, I remember my siblings and me fighting over these fun and finger-staining fruits. Everyone would be frantically picking through and peeling back the pith to get to the ruby-colored nuggets with big cheesy grins on our faces.
Now health sciences are telling us our early childhood cravings were actually a very good thing. Big surprise, huh?
Pomegranates are one of the top 10 best foods you can eat. Why? It is super-charged with antioxidants (the natural substance that slows and prevents the cell damage that is linked to many diseases, as well as boosts the body's immune system). According to the United States Department of Agriculture, pomegranate is the only fruit to contain all three major antioxidants: tannins, anthocyanins and ellagic acid.
In addition to the rich antioxidants, pomegranates are a good source of potassium, vitamin C, folic acid (beneficial to pregnant women), niacin, iron, calcium, and are a rich source of fiber.
Pomegranates come from a fruit-bearing shrub native to the Middle East, ranging from Iran to the Himalayas in India. Pomegranates are also cultivated throughout the Mediterranean, and have been grown in California since 1769, when the Spanish first introduced the fruit to North America. The fruit of the pomegranate does get sweeter the more it ripens, although many people like the tart flavor of a less-ripened pomegranate.
Some biblical scholars believe
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that the true forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden was a pomegranate and not an apple. In Greek mythology, Hades, the god of the underworld, used the fruit of the pomegranate to trick the beautiful Persephone into staying with him as his bride in his mythological "hell." The ancient Persians believed that the pomegranate seeds made their warriors invincible, and the Chinese say it represents longevity.
The most popular way to eat them is right out of your red-stained hands, but I would like to share some recipes that put a nice seasonal spin on your fall dinner table, and hopefully get you thinking of some new ways to integrate this fantastic fruit into more of your family's meals.
The first recipe is a Poma-Granité. I use this as a fall intermezzo to cleanse the palate between the appetizer and the entrée. You can also use it as a light dessert or as a complement to another dish (such as smoked shellfish, or smoked trout, if you are feeling adventurous).
The second is another seasonal dish that you can apply to seafood, or poultry. The method I selected is with halibut, but you can easily use a chicken breast instead. The recipe is from my contribution to the Delaware North Parks and Resorts Cookbook "Pathways to Plate." It's called pumpkin seed-crusted halibut with pomegranate-citrus relish.
Please remember to buy local, organic products as much as possible, and consult the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch program when selecting seafood for your dishes. And add you're your own touch to these recipes; keep experimenting and tweaking it, until it makes your whole tongue happy.
|Poma-Granité|
|(Yield: 3 cups)|
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
3 sprigs of fresh mint, lightly bruised with the back of a knife
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup fresh orange juice
Steps: Combine the water, sugar and mint in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring just until the sugar is dissolved. Boil uncovered for two minutes, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain out the mint. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and pour into a metal pan, such as a cake pan. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes with a fork and scraping the ice crystals that form around the edge of the pan. When finished, the granité should have a fine, crumbly texture, like coarse snow.
|Pumpkin seed crusted halibut|
|with pomegranate-citrus relish|
|(Yield: Six 8-oz. portions)|
For the halibut:
6- 8-oz. fillet of Pacific line-caught halibut, cleaned and trimmed (may substitute other firm-white flesh fish)
1 tsp. vermouth
1 T. white worcestershire
3 T. grape seed oil, or extra virgin olive oil (reserve 2 T. for cooking)
1 tsp. thin sliced fresh Chives
Salt and white pepper to taste
For the relish:
2 grapefruits (peel and remove segments)
2 naval or other ripe oranges (peel and remove segments)
1 ripe and red pomegranate (remove and reserve seeds; discard pith)
1 tsp. fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
1 T. red onion, finely minced
1 T. champagne vinegar, or other dry white vinegar
Salt and white pepper to taste
For the pumpkin seed crust:
8 oz. pumpkin seeds
1 cup Japanese bread crumbs, or plain white bread crumbs
Salt and white pepper to taste
Steps: Two to 4 hours prior to serving, place halibut fillets in a shallow pan, or casserole dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the vermouth, white worcestershire, 1 T. grape seed, or olive oil, and chives until well incorporated. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Brush this mixture on all six pieces of halibut, every side. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to cook.
For the relish:
Medium dice the grapefruit and orange segments, then place in a medium bowl. Add the pomegranate seeds, tarragon, cilantro, red onion and vinegar. Gently mix together ingredients. Now season to taste with salt and white pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the crust: In a food processor, place pumpkin seeds, breadcrumbs, salt and white pepper to taste. Pulse blend until well mixed.
Thirty minutes prior to serving, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, place 2 remaining tablespoons of grape seed oil (or olive oil). Take the halibut out of the refrigerator, and place skin-side up in the pan, doing three at a time. Sear in pan for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Then place fillets brown-side-up on a baking sheet. Top fillets evenly with pumpkin seed crust, and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Garnish with pomegranate relish and serve with your favorite side dish.
Colin Moody is executive chef at Asilomar Conference Grounds and president of the American Culinary Federation, Monterey Bay. He is passionate about local and sustainable foods. Contact Moody at chefcmoody@sbcglobal.net.
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