Paradise's Forbidden Fruit

POMEGRANATES Now that I've Got Some, What Do I Do with Them?

You probably thought it was an apple that tempted Adam in the Garden of Eden. Common mistake. And you might have believed we have winter because of some shift in the planet's axis. Most everyone does. And you undoubtedly feared there was no cure for envy and hate. Wrong again. It's good to finally know the truth. And it all can be told in one word: pomegranates. It may be surprising to find this exotic fruit credited (or blamed) for such wondrous things. It's more likely that thoughts about a pomegranate center not on legends or myths or romance but on the most commonly asked question about this unusual winter fruit: what in the world do you do with it? It's the question asked by everyone who comes into possession of the rubyred orbs, whether a gardener with a bumper crop on hand, or the bewildered friend of the gardener who gets a box of the fruit as a gift, or an adventurous shopper in the produce section who is smitten by their beauty. In the quest to find the answer, comes the revelation that this fruit has played a starring role in some awesome tales. It's easy to understand how the lowly apple gets blamed as the "forbidden fruit" from the Garden of Eden. The Romans are accused of making that mistake, for, historians note, they were notorious for calling every fruit an "apple." (Having discovered the pome-africa, the Romans named it "apple of Carthage.") But Middle Easterners with Eden in their backyard have always believed Adam was actually tempted by the pomegranate. They underscore their point by noting the pomegranate is commonly known as "the apple with many seeds." And winter! A pomegranate seed is responsible for that, according to Greek mythology. Because beautiful Persephone, the only child of Demeter, goddess of the corn harvest, was tricked into eating a pomegranate seed, Zeus relegated her to spend four months each year in the underworld, causing the flowers and grain to wither until she emerged again. And what did Mohammed advise his followers about the fruit that is as ancient as the olive and the fig? "Eat the pomegranate for it purges the system of envy and hatred." With such a rich history, you'd expect the pomegranate to be a popular fruit. And when you discover that it's a year-round showcase in the garden, you'd expect it to appear in tended yards throughout the West where the heat and soil are perfect for its growth. But, alas, the pomegranate has never gotten its due. Mainly because we come back to the basic problem: what do you do with it? Okay, so you can always make jelly, the most obvious use for any fruit. Nothing special about that, although the crimson color is particularly beautiful like "glistening rubies," as food writers like to gush. Considering that a self-respecting pomegranate tree will produce a profusion each year literally hundreds of fruits you could easily put up enough crimson jelly to fill a pantry or two. It just doesn't seem right that a beautiful fruit with such legendary qualities should have so skimpy a repertoire. And so began the Great Pomegranate Recipe Search. Go to a hefty home library of cookbooks and don't be surprised that there's not a single pomegranate recipe to be found. Try current magazines and newspapers, so conveniently indexed by computer at your local library, and it's a safe bet you'll find few words on the subject. Even the folks at the Arizona Extension Service the people who know almost everything about anything grown will tell you all you want to know about growing a pomegranate tree, but nothing about what to do with its produce. You should know that growing a pomegranate plant is a snap. It has the distinction of being a thicket, a shrub, or a tree, depending on how it's trained. It's not only perfect for the desert, but is truly a plant for all seasons: in spring trumpetlike orange-scarlet flowers cover its branches; by midsummer, the fruit is set, starting out brownish-green, but turning to a rich, leathery-looking red. Thankfully one friend had spent time in Iran and brought back authentic Middle East cookbooks with pomegranate treasures. Another pal had bought an Australian cookbook at a yard sale in the Midwest and found a pomegranate winner. Someone dug out a cookbook written specifically about desert plants. And gourmet magazines provided more proof that this fruit is as versatile in the kitchen as it is in the garden. Slowly the list of possibilities kept growing. It now stands at 41 recipes. Most amazing of all is that there are uses for pomegranates in soups, salads, side dishes, main courses, desserts, and drinks, and as a garnish. Now that's a repertoire. At last count, the Great Pomegranate Recipe Search had uncovered six different recipes for the fruit with chicken, two with lamb, two with pork, one with duck, plus a Persian stew. There also are four salads, including a variation on the delicious Arabic bread salad; two soups jazzed up with the red seeds; an exotic eggplant with yogurt and pomegranate sauce; as well as a risotto with the seeds.

How about trying a guacamole with pomegranates, or making your own syrup (like the commercially available grenadine)? And then there are the desserts: pudding, sorbet, cake, cashew pie, souffle, and perhaps the most luscious of all, the Pavlova, a fruit-filled meringue.

There's another use for pomegranate juice you'll never find in any cookbook. Last Christmas at my place, the wake-up treat was fresh-squeezed orange and pomegranate juice. As the beautiful elixir was stirred with a silver spoon, it took off all the tarnish! (It's perhaps best not to mention this as you serve the libation to your guests.) When choosing pomegranates, which can grow to the size of softballs, avoid those that are shriveled and hard. The fruit should be colorful with no cracks or splits, and the heavier they are, the more juice they contain.

Extracting the flavor is the first order of business. The easiest way is to treat them like an orange, cutting them in half and squeezing out the juice with a reamer, then straining. Be careful: the ruby juice stains badly.

To retain the whole seed, there are two methods. One is to cut the fruit in half and carefully scoop or pick out the seeds. The other is to cut off the blossom end of the fruit and score the skin into quarters. Then immerse the fruit in a bowl of cool water and let it soak for a few minutes. While holding the fruit under the water, break it apart and separate the seeds from the pulp. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl while the pulp and peel will float. Discard everything but the seeds and let them dry on a paper towel.

It turns out there are so many uses for this ruby jewel, it would be a shame to relegate it only to its available winter season. Luckily pomegranates are easy to freeze. Pack the juicy seeds in a cold syrup of two cups sugar to four cups water and freeze; or extract the juice, sweeten to taste, and freeze. Frozen pomegranates have a oneyear life. (Fresh pomegranates will last for a week or so in the refrigerator.) A sampling of recipes shows how to use pomegranates and opens up the imagination to recipes yet to be created.

For Jana Bommersbach, writing about pomegranates was a labor of love. She says she compiled an encyclopedia on the uses of pomegranates during her research and is thinking of doing a book on the fascinating fruit.

CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE SAUCE

From In a Persian Kitchen Cookbook 2 1/2 to 3 lb. fryer chicken, cut up 5 tbsp. shortening 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 large onion, finely chopped 3 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. tomato sauce 2 cups walnuts, finely chopped 3 1/2 cups water 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 2 tbsp. lemon juice 1 cup fresh pomegranate juice or 2 to 3 tbsp. syrup (available in Greek or Armenian specialty stores) 1 tbsp. sugar Wash and prepare the chicken for frying. Sauté the chicken with poultry seasoning and salt and pepper in shortening until light brown on all sides, or bake chicken in 350degree oven for 45 minutes. Put aside. Sauté the onions in the butter until golden brown. Add tomato sauce and sauté for a few minutes. Add walnuts and sauté over a medium fire for about 5 minutes. Stir constantly and be careful not to burn the walnuts. Add water, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice, and pomegranate juice. Cover and let cook on a low fire for about 35 minutes. Taste the sauce, and if you find it a little sour, add sugar. Arrange the chicken over the sauce. Cover and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with rice.Serves 5 to 6.

(Note: In the Middle East, this is perhaps the favorite dish using pomegranates. Wild duck can be substituted for the chicken. So can beef; cut beef in l-inch cubes and don't use poultry seasoning.)

RISOTTO WITH POMEGRANATE SEEDS

From Gourmet, The Magazine of Good Living 1 onion, minced 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 1/2 cups Arborio rice (available at specialty food shops and some supermarkets) 1/2 cup dry white wine 5 cups chicken broth, or more if necessary 6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, cut into small cubes 1 pomegranate, halved and squeezed gently to yield enough seeds to measure about 2/3 cup salt and pepper In a large saucepan, cook the onion in the butter and the oil over moderately low heat until it is softened, add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. (Do not let the rice brown.) Add the wine and cook over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add about 1/2 cup of the broth, heated, and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding the broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each portion be absorbed before adding the next. (The cooking time will be about 18 minutes for creamy al dente rice.) Remove the pan from the heat and add the Gorgonzola, stirring until it is melted completely. Stir in the pomegranate seeds and season the risotto with salt and pepper.

Serves 6 to 8.

SPICED POMEGRANATE PEARS

from Gourmet, The Magazine of Good Living 3 firm pears 1 cup pomegranate syrup 2 tbsp. lemon juice 2-inch stick of cinnamon 4 whole cloves Peel, halve lengthwise, and core pears and arrange them cut side down in a ceramic baking dish. In a nonmetallic bowl, combine the pomegranate syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon, and cloves. Pour the mixture over the pears and bake in a preheated moderate oven (350 degrees), basting frequently, for 45 minutes or until pears are tender.

Serves 6.

(Note: Cored and peeled apples or bananas cut in half lengthwise may be substituted for the pears. The cooking time for bananas is 15 minutes. Can serve these spiced fruits with a dollop of sour cream.)

POMEGRANATE TOSSED SALAD

From Fruits of the Desert Cookbook 1 medium head lettuce, torn or chopped 1 medium cucumber, diced 1 large tomato, diced 1 large avocado, diced 2 tbsp. chopped onion 1 cup pomegranate seeds Toss ingredients and top with favorite dressing.

Serves 6.

(Note: Garnish your traditional Waldorf salad with pomegranate seeds; add 2/3 cup pomegranate seeds to Fattoush - Arabic bread salad; mix in the seeds with a variety of lettuces, such as radicchio and endive, topping with olive oil and fresh lemon juice.)

PAVLOVA

From Australian & New Zealand Complete Book of Cookery MERINGUE: 3 egg whites 6 to 8 oz. sugar 1/2 tsp. cornstarch 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. white vinegar Beat egg whites until stiff, add sugar a tablespoon at a time. Beat thoroughly between additions. With last tablespoon, add the cornstarch. Add vanilla and vinegar. Make individual meringues on greased wax paper that covers a cookie sheet. Spoon or pipe it out in a dishlike shape. Place in oven at about 200225 degrees. Bake for 2 hours until stiff as a pie shell. Set aside to cool. Peel off paper.

FILLING: 1/4 to 1/2 pint whipping cream 1/2 pint sour cream 1 to 2 tsp. powdered sugar 8 to 16 sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen) 1 cup pomegranate seeds 1 or 2 kiwis for garnish Whip cream. Mix with sour cream. Sweeten with powdered sugar to taste. Mix in the fruit and pomegranate seeds. Spoon mixture into meringues. Chill before serving. Garnish with kiwi slices.

Serves 6 to 8.

POMEGRANATE JELLY

from Fruits of the Desert Cookbook 3 1/2 cups pomegranate juice 1/2 cup lemon juice 7 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 bottle liquid pectin To prepare juice, separate and crush edible portions of 10 to 12 fully ripe fruits. Do not remove seeds. Place fruit in dampened jelly cloth or bag and squeeze out juice. Small amount of water may be added, if needed, to obtain the required amount of juice. Measure sugar and juice into a large saucepan and mix. Bring to a boil over high heat, and at once add pectin, stirring constantly. Bring to a full rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down) and boil for 1/2 minute. Remove from fire, skim, and pour quickly into sterile glasses. Add paraffin.

Yields 11 6-ounce glasses.

(Note: If desired, pomegranates may be cut in half and the juice extracted on an orangejuice squeezer. Jelly made this way will not be as clear as that put through a jelly bag.)

POMEGRANATE SYRUP

from Gourmet, The Magazine of Good Living 2 cups pomegranate juice 1 cup sugar In an enameled saucepan, bring pomegranate juice and sugar to a boil, stirring, and simmer the syrup for 5 minutes, skimming the froth. Let the syrup cool and strain it through an enameled colander, lined with a double layer of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth, into a nonmetallic bowl. The syrup may be stored in a sealed jar in the refriger-Makes about 2 cups.