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"Come si usa" how does one use?

This section is dedicated to answering the questions I’m asked most by tour participants. From common ingredients to the most rare culinary treasures, it’s an abbondanza of information. Whatever your level of food know-how, I bet you’ll learn something new in these food essays. Click here to jump down to archived articles.

Fall 2005: I see these brightly colored fruits called “pomegranates” in the market – how do I eat them and what’s all of the hype?

POMEGRANATE – MELAGRANA – WHAT IS IT?

History and Lore:

Pomegranates are the fruit of a small, shrubby tree, native to the Mediterranean, where it still grows wild. The fruits resemble large, brick red, leather-skinned apples with turret-like crowns. When opened, they reveal a myriad of clear-to-ruby-red, glassy-looking seeds or kernels called arils, compartmentalized and protected between tough white membranes. Pomegranates are sweet, tart, and their strongly pigmented juice can be quite astringent.

Pomegranate's botanical name is Punica Granatum, with Punica acknowledging its Carthaginian heritage, and Granatum referring to its numerous seeds. It is one of the earliest cultivated fruits and is believed to have been planted sometime between 4,000 and 3,000 BC. Cultivated and appreciated since antiquity, pomegranates have been an inspiration for poets, painters and sculptors as symbols of health, abundance, fertility, prosperity, and rebirth in Chinese, Persian, Roman, Egyptian, Greek and Hebrew lore, and as a symbol of hope in Christian art traditions. Many scholars suggest that it was the pomegranate, not an apple, which Eve offered to Adam in the mythical Garden of Eden.

The word pomegranate comes from the Middle French term pome garnete and literally means “seeded apple”. The French named their hand-tossed explosive a "grenade" after the seed scattering properties of pomegranates, and the soldiers who wielded that lethal fruit were, themselves, called "grenadiers".

In a more practical and less violent sense, the pomegranate rind is so tannin-rich that it was once used for tanning leather, and the deeply pigmented juice is still used as a natural dye today.

Buying and Storage:

Pomegranates are shipped ripe and ready to eat. While the outer skin should be thin, tough, and unbroken--any external blemishes should not be considered indicative of the interior quality, however. The outside color can vary from pale red-yellow to a deep purple-red. Heavy fruits promise more juice. If the little crown emits puffs of powdery clouds when pressed, the fruit inside will probably be old and dry.

Fresh, unopened pomegranates keep best refrigerated in the vegetable drawer, and should last for a couple of months. Once cracked open, they'll last up to a week, if stored in a tightly sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. The seeds, once removed from their protective white membranes, may be frozen for up to one year. Unopened whole pomegranates can adorn a fruit bowl at room temperature (out of direct sunlight) for at least a week. They create a dramatic centerpiece and add a festive touch to any room, as well as being symbols of hope, healing, fertility, and rebirth.

Health Benefits:

Pomegranates have been found to be the anti-oxidant super power; pomegranate juice supplies one of the highest levels of anti-oxidants to be found in almost any beverage. The importance of this lies in the fact that anti-oxidants act as free radical-neutralizing scavengers in our bodies--a good thing--because free radicals are known to accelerate aging, leading to heart disease and stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and even some cancers. Exposure to pollutants, pesticides, drugs, high-fat diets and fried foods can cause the formation of free radicals, and evidence suggests that pomegranates can help prevent some of the cell and tissue damage that leads to disease.

Using Pomegranates:

To open a pomegranate, do not cut straight into the fruit, or you will lose all of the juices. Instead, lightly score the outer skin with a knife, in quarters, from stem to blossom-end, and then hold the fruit in a bowl of water. Gently break open the fruit by hand, and bend back the rind to roll out the seed kernels, or arils, with your fingers. The kernels will sink to the bottom of the bowl, and the membranes will float to the top. Discard the white membrane, which is very bitter, and strain out the water. By doing all of this in a bowl of water, you prevent the seed sacs from squirting open and staining your clothing. 

Enjoy the unique sweet-sour taste of these crisp little seeds, on their own merits, or simply sprinkle them to enhance and garnish almost anything--salads, meat or poultry, soups, or desserts. In the Mediterranean, pomegranates' unique piquant taste makes them as much a part of everyday food as lemon juice is in America. They add texture, spectacular color, bright flavor, and are incredibly high in anti-oxidants, but beware--their juice will stain clothing!

One medium-sized pomegranate will yield about 3/4 cup of seed kernels or 1/2 cup of juice. And what about the teeny tiny little seed inside each ruby kernel? They are a great source of healthy fiber--swallow pomegranate seed kernels whole!

Pomegranate Grenadine    

Many years ago, the finest grenadine (the sweet red syrup used in cocktails) was made with the juice of pomegranate seeds. Now, store-bought grenadine is nothing more than red dye #40, corn syrup and other allegedly 'natural' flavors. Why not try making your own instead?

Bring 3 cups of pomegranate juice to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally and skimming the froth, until the juice is reduced to about 1 cup. Cool, bottle and store in the refrigerator. Use in soups, sauces, marinades, (and beverages--in cocktails, or to make pink lemonade) for a rich, tart flavor.

Pomegranate Syrup

1 C. pomegranate juice
1/2 C. sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine the juice and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 1 minute, removed from heat and cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Pomegranate Juice

Place pomegranate kernels in a blender and whirl until liquefied. Pour through a cheesecloth-lined strainer and drain, catching the juice. If you don’t have a blender, try this low-tech method: gently roll the whole unpeeled fruit on top of a hard surface until the seeds inside no longer crunch. Prick a hole, insert a straw, and squeeze the juice out slowly. Refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze up to 6 months.

Make ice cubes with whole pomegranate seed kernels in them for a festive touch!

Pomegranate Prosecco

Put a tablespoon of pomegranate syrup into a glass of your favorite Prosecco. Add a few fresh seeds into the glass and watch the bubbles make them dance!

Tacchino alla Melagrana

This Renaissance-inspired recipe is adapted from Italian Slow and Savory by Joyce Goldstein--a wonderful book with authentic, simple dishes encouraging us to linger a little longer in the kitchen. This recipe may also be used with duck, Cornish game hens, or roasting chicken.

1 turkey, 8-10 lbs.
juice of 4 pomegranates (about 1 C.) reduced over high heat to 1/2 C.
1 C. fresh orange juice
1/2 C. honey
2 C. chicken stock, reduced over high heat to 1 C.
2 T. grated orange zest
Salt & Pepper
1 C. pomegranate kernels

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Rinse the turkey, pat dry, and place on a rack in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the reduced pomegranate juice, orange juice, and honey. Measure out one cup and set aside for finishing the sauce; use the remaining amount for basting the bird. Roast the turkey, basting every 20 minutes or so with the remaining pomegranate juice blend, until the juices run clear when you pierce a thigh joint with a skewer, or an instant read thermometer inserted into the thigh (away from bone) reaches 165ºF--about 2 and 1/2 hours.

Transfer the turkey to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes before carving. While the turkey is resting, make the sauce: in a small saucepan, combine the reserved cup of pomegranate juice blend, the reduced stock, and the grated orange zest mix; let simmer for a few minutes, and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Carve the turkey and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the meat, and garnish with additional pomegranate kernels. Serve at once.

ARCHIVES (For more recipes & cooking tips, click here.)

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• Spring 2004 -- Carciofi -- Artichokes
• Winter 2004 -- I've been hearing about a grain called farro -- is it the same as spelt?
• Winter 2003 -- What should I use for sauce in the winter when fresh tomatoes have no taste?
• Summer 2003 -- I love balsamic vinegar in my salad -- which one is the best?