The pomegranate has received much attention recently for its super antioxidant qualities (studies suggest that pomegranate juice may contain 3x’s the total antioxidant ability compared with the same quantity of green tea or red wine). It also provides a substantial amount of potassium, is high in fiber, and contains Vitamin C and iron.
We now see pomegranate added to just about every product in the supermarket, but what about just enjoying the actual fresh fruit. This is the season!
It is one of the earliest cultivated fruits, it is believed by some scholars that it was a pomegranate, not an apple, that was the temptation for Eve. In the Middle Eastern diet it has always played an important role, but until recently it was only a novelty in our western diet. The cause for its recent surge in popularity is scientific evidence of just how good it is for us, it helps with heart disease, cancer, and many aging problems.
The drawback for the pomegranate as a fresh fruit is that it doesn’t fit our “fast food” mentality. Beneath its leathery skin and thick pulp lie the hundreds of juicy delicious seeds. Getting the seeds out is a mystery to many but we have a few easy tips to make this fruit a regular in your diet. These delicious juicy seeds can be eaten alone or added to fruit salads, salsas, guacamole or green salads for flavor, color and crunch. They can be used in baked goods, sauces, soups or as a terrific topping for cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, ice cream, or many other desserts. The juice is wonderful added to vinaigrettes for a salad dressing/marinade, as a drink with a bit of sugar added or in mixed drinks such as margaritas (see recipes below)!
The majority of pomegranates are grown in California, and their season is only September to December. You should look for a fruit that feels heavy, and the skin should be thin with no splits or cracks and bright in color. The taste differs depending on the variety of pomegranate and its state of ripeness. It can be very sweet or it can be very sour or tangy, but most lie somewhere in between, which is the characteristic taste. This wonderful balance of sweet and sour is what makes them such a terrific addition to salads . They will keep in the refrigerator for 2 months, or un-refrigerated in a cool, dry place for a month.
Yes, the pomegranate is somewhat labor intensive, but all good things are worth the effort.
The easiest way to remove seeds
(as seen on Nigella Bites)
- Slice pomegranate in half
- Hold the half cut side down over a large bowl
- Use the side of a wooden spoon and tap hard on the outside of the pomegranate. The first few taps nothing happens but then the seeds get dislodged and you will get a bowl full of seeds and an empty shell!
To juice a pomegranate, just slice it in half, use a lemon juicing tool, and juice the pomegranate the same you would a lemon. Strain the juice (a few little bits might get in there), and you will have wonderful fresh pomegranate juice.
Alternate Method
Cut the crown end off the pomegranate, then lightly score the skin from top to bottom in quarters. Immerse the fruit in a bowl of cool water and soak for a minute or two. Hold the fruit under water (which prevents juice from spattering) and break sections apart. Next, separate seeds from the rind and membrane. Seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl; rind and membrane will float. Skim off and discard the rind and membrane. Drain seeds, then pat dry.
Terrific Antioxidant Fruit Salad -
(recipe from: Nigella Lawson)
- 1 mango
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 pomegranates
- fresh lime juice
- Cut the mango in half, then criss-cross the flesh of the mango halves with a knife into 1/2-inch squares.
- Push the diced mango flesh outwards and then slice off the squares from the skin into a bowl.
- Tumble in the blueberries, then halve the pomegranate and bash out the seeds with a wooden spoon over the mango.
- Finally squeeze the lime juice over the fruit and serve.
Pomegranate Breakfast Soda
(source: Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved, Barefoot Contessa)
- 16 ounces pomegranate juice
- 16 ounces sparkling water
- 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
