Blueberry and Pomegranate Salad

I have to admit that I have recently developed

a girl crush.

You see, I have been watching Bitchin' Kitchen with

Nadia G. on The Cooking Channel and I am in love.

She is irreverent, funny and a good cook to boot.

It was only a matter of time before I was

tempted to try one of her recipes.

This was the recipe that lured me in.

The ingredients for blueberry and pomegranate salad are:

lemon

pita

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt (I later opted to use another salt than the one shown)

freshly cracked black pepper

hot chile pepper flakes

brown sugar

pumpkin seeds

fresh mint leaves

organic blueberries

pomegranate seeds (more properly called arils)

mshalale cheese (or feta cheese)

(see recipe for amounts)

The first task was to free the arils from the pith.



I score the fruit from crown to bottom and back up again.

I repeat, quartering the fruit.



Gently pry the fruit apart with your fingers.



Then, work over a bowl of cool water and with the

flesh side of your thumbs, free the arils from the pith.



The final step is to clean the arils.

I get another bowl of clean, cool water and clean the arils

yet again.



This took me almost an hour to do just one pomegranate.



Tedious, tiring and boring, but worth it.

And then I found a food that was even more difficult to prep.

Pumpkin seeds.

These little devils are sealed in tight little shells

that resist all attempts to easily open them.

The Foodie Boyfriend and I spent 45 minutes working

to get this much de-shelled.

Then we cried "Uncle!"

We actually needed 1/4 cup. Oh well.

The next step was to toast the pumpkin seeds.

Keep tossing them so they don't burn.

Then it was on to the pita.

One for the salad and one for the cooks.

Olive oil and lemon juice was brushed on top.

I remembered that I had French Grey Sea Salt

on hand, so that was used.

Then black pepper and red chile flakes were sprinkled on top.

These baked in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Salad assembly begins.

The mshalale cheese is cut.

This is an Arabian cheese that is braided.

Nigella seeds are added to the cheese.

This is a salty and stringy cheese.

Feta cheese can be substituted if this cheese cannot be found.

I had to go to our local ethnic market to find it.

Mint leaves are added to the salad.

Then the torn pita is added before the salad dressing of

lemon juice, black pepper, brown sugar and extra virgin olive oil

is added.

Do this just before service.

As a bonus, I was fortunate enough to find

prime beef rib eye steaks for $3.99 at my local

grocery store last week.

I know, I thought it was a typo, too.

I bought the last four steaks they had.

That was enough for two meals for us, as I cut each steak in half.

Dinner tonight was rib eye steak,

buttered egg noodles and

the blueberry and pomegranate salad.

This salad was divine.

I can't say that I would go through the trouble of shelling

the pumpkin seeds again, but if I could find them already

shelled I would go for it.

Otherwise, I would probably substitute sunflower seeds.

As an unbelievable bonus, even my super-picky husband

liked this dish.

Nadia G, you rock!

Pomegranates for Dinner

Pomegranates have finally shown up in my regular grocery store, so of course I had to get a couple and plan a meal around this mysterious fruit. Mythology has it that Persephone was doomed to remain in Hades when she ate the seeds of the pomegranate. Some scholars believe that the pomegranate was in fact the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden. What is known is that the pomegranate has been a favorite food for thousands of years.

Recent research suggests that pomegranates are a power food that contain polyphenols, Vitamin C and Vitamin K. Pomegranates are endorsed by the American Heart Association.

I found a recipe for Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce. I didn't have pork tenderloins on hand, but I do have bacon-wrapped turkey loin medallions. Close enough.

Here I have the ingredients for this dish: corn starch, white wine vinegar, black pepper, salt, olive oil, pomegranates, cinnamon, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, the turkey and butter.

The recipe calls for crushed coriander and cumin seeds. So I place them in a zipper bag and got out my small rolling pin.

The spices (3/4 teaspoon each cumin, coriander, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and salt) get mixed together. Coat the meat and set aside.

I wish you could smell the spices.





Look! Me washie handsies!

Now, on to the pomegranates. Fortunately, I had picked up a nice guide about pomegranates at the grocery store. I am directed to cut off the top of the fruit.

Looks like a crime scene. Where's the yellow police tape?

Slice down the sides of the fruits, between the sections. Pull a section off and begin seeding the fruit.



Over a bowl of water, separate the seeds from the membrane.
The arils (seeds) will sink to the bottom while the membrane will float.





This is labor-intensive work, but worth the effort.

Scoop the floating membrane off the surface. Now you can gently run the arils through your fingers to remove any remaining membrane.

I have set aside some arils for later use. The rest will be turned into pomegranate juice.

Pulse in a blender to liquefy.

Strain through a sieve to remove the seeds.




I ended up with just under a cup of juice after pressing the pulp through the sieve.

I then turn my attention to the next dish featuring pomegranates. Fresh green beans, black pepper, salt, olive oil, lemon zest, shallot and pomegranate arils are gathered.

After trimming the green beans and blanching them briefly, I reduce the pomegranate juice over medium-high heat for several minutes. I am a multi-tasking fool.

While the juice reduces, I work on the green beans. I spread the green beans on a baking sheet with half of a sliced shallot and dress with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Toss well to coat.

Looks like the juice has reduced nicely.




The juice is now a beautiful, thick syrup. Set aside.

I sear the meat in olive oil over medium-high heat. In a pan like this, the meat is ready to be turned when it releases easily from the pan. Don't try to force the issue or the meat will tear and will then be tough.

I move the meat to a baking dish and finish cooking it in the oven alongside the green beans.

Meanwhile, I add the pomegranate syrup to the pan and turn off the heat. Stir to incorporate the fond (brown bits) into the sauce. Stir in a slurry of one tablespoon water and 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch, a splash of vinegar, a pinch of salt and one tablespoon butter.

This sauce will be served on the side.

When the meat has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees, remove from the oven, cover and allow to rest for a few minutes.

Plate the green beans and toss with one tablespoon lemon zest and a few pomegranate arils.

Dinner is served. A bit of the pomegranate sauce is drizzled on the turkey. Sprinkle some arils on top to finish. Crescent rolls baked the day before complete the meal.

The pomegranate arils pop in your mouth, lending a unique sweet/tart burst of flavor to the dishes. All in all, this is a nice, seasonal treat.

And what did my family think? My dear husband was busy, cutting off the seasoned crust of the meat while ignoring the arils. The daughter begged me to not make anything with pomegranates for at least another year. At least the cat liked the meat my husband discarded. Sigh, what's a mother to do?

Heh, I still have some arils left, so unbeknownst to my dear family, they will be making an appearance in tonight's salad.

A Glorious Day in the Kitchen

I was able to spend a wonderful, relaxing day in the kitchen today. Even though I am a 'retired' homemaker, I still find my time to be somewhat precious. Thus, today was a rare treat to myself.

I went against the wisdom of the ages and created a dinner menu that was completely foreign to me. To wit: turkey tenderloin with a pomegranate glaze, roasted green beans, and homemade applesauce.

Yea! My pricey investment from 20 years ago finally pays off!

Mash those apples, people! Take care here. It is much easier to add sugar than to try to compensate for too much sugar in the dish. I took into account the type of apples I had and determined that they were sweeter and thus required less sugar. Disclaimer: the concept of sweetness is subjective.

I have pomegranates. Ooh, they're bleeding. On my cutting board. Yuck. Now I have to clean that up!

Puree the pomegranate seeds. Ooh, purty.

It's still purty, although the froth does subside after a while.

I reluctantly admit it: I grew up in a household that believed that the only vegetables worth eating came from a can. And then were boiled until no possible semblance to edible food was discernable. Thankfully, I do not subscribe to that belief.

The turkey tenderloin has finished cooking in the pomegranate glaze.

I love a productive day in the kitchen. And I do fervently believe that even failures can result in furthering knowledge. Go ahead: at the very least, all you have to lose is a delicious meal. At the worst, hard earned money. If these parameters are within your tolerance zone, then I invite you into my world.