Pomegranate: Don’t take it for Granted
As we cruise toward our inevitable date with the Winter Solstice, fresh produce is starting to feel like a faded memory. The tomatoes are anemic and the lettuce has jetlag. But the pomegranate harvest has just begun. And these ancient fruit can add a zest to your food that’s fresh as a daisy.
The bright red orbs dangle like Christmas tree ornaments from their bushy trees. Native to Central Asia, some historians believe them to be the originally sinful fruit of the Biblical Tree of Knowledge. In modern times pomegranate trees have adapted to the warm edges of temperate climates around the world, as they are tolerant to high heat and low precipitation, are easy to grow, and can produce huge crops. This adaptability, coupled with growing demand for the fruit, have caused a surge in pomegranate trees being planted. Pom orchards are replacing apple orchards in parts of India that are now too hot for apple growing.
The ruby colored seeds, called arils, can turn the average cook into a culinary magician, as garnishing with pomegranate seeds entails roughly the same wrist motion of casting a spell. And the acidic impact of the arils adds flavor to every bite. Grab a handful and fling them upon salad, soup, steak, breakfast, and everything in between. The effect is similar to taking a sip of lusty red wine whilst chewing your food.
A ripe pomegranate will feel heavy for its size, analogous to a ripe watermelon. It should not be round and shiny, but have sunken sides that accentuate the ridges that give it a hexagonal shape, and leathery skin. In other words it should look a tad old.
Extracting the arils can be messy if your technique is off. But if you score the peel around the equator, pull the fruit in half, and tap gently, the seeds rush out like Black Friday shoppers storming the gates of Walmart.
This technique comes from Turkey, where a food writer named Robyn Eckhardt once sat down with a group of women, some pieces of plastic pipe, and 100 kilos of fresh pomegranates. They spent the day liberating pomegranate seeds, with which they would make pomegranate molasses. In an email she explained the process.
Start by making a shallow cut all the way around, from pole to pole, following the ridges, trying not slice any arils. Then pull it in half.
“Gently squeeze one pomegranate half, cut side down, over a wide deep bowl to loosen the seeds,” Eckhardt wrote. “Place it cut side down in your nondominant hand. Spread your fingers to create a ‘sieve’ through which the seeds can fall. With the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula, tap the pomegranate all over; dislodged seeds will fall into the bowl (the bits of bitter white membrane will remain in your hand). Continue tapping, turning the pomegranate in your hand, until most of the seeds are dislodged. If any white membrane has fallen into the bowl, pick it out.”
The fruit’s fridge-life can be extended for months by wrapping them in paper towels and storing in a paper bag at the bottom of the fridge where there isn’t much activity, explained my other pomegranate advisor, chef Ray Risho, an expert in Old World cuisine. You want to leave the wrapped pomegranates unbothered, with as few vibrations as possible. “Like bottles of fine wine,” he explained, “the less the pomegranates are disturbed, the better they will keep.”
Pomegranate Hummus
This recipe is a dish that you might find anywhere in the Middle East, including both sides of the nauseating conflict. So I’m sharing it as a seasonal reminder of our shared humanity, in hopes that some day, somehow, we can learn to forget the grievances of the past and break bread together in a peaceful future.
My pomegranate hummus doesn’t taste sweet or look at all reddish; if not for the garnish you wouldn’t even guess it has pomegranate.
This recipe comes together fast. The only speed bump is opening up the pomegranate and dumping out the seeds. But now that you are an expert on pom seed extraction, it shouldn’t slow you down too much.
These proportions make for a soupy, pourable hummus — not that thick hippy shit you could lay bricks with. I like it saucy so you can pour it on things like meat or salad. But if that isn’t your style, omit the water from the bean can, so it will be thicker. All of the proportions are negotiable. Blend it up, taste, adjust, blend again.
Ingredients
1 16-oz can of garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons arils
Procedure
Empty the can of garbanzo beans, including the water, into the blender. Add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, a tablespoon of the pomegranate seeds, and liquify. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding not only salt but more pomegranate seeds or lemon if it needs more tartness, or extra oil, garlic or tahini, depending on your tastes. Blend again and garnish with a pour of olive oil and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds.