On a Pomegranate Kick

I have been on a pomegranate kick. I had never even bought one in my life until last week. I tasted some once a few years ago, but somehow it just never happened - that taking the plunge and getting one of my own. And this despite the fact I lived in Guatemala and had a tree in my yard. The tree didn't do well, as we were just a bit too cool where I lived, but still!

So, I got the first one and made that awesome grapefruit and pomegranate aril breakfast. And, I have had the same thing nearly every day since! Yum. That's all I can say about that. I have been eating pomegranate as a snack, too, in between. So, I was watching The Chew one day recently and I know they made a salad of fennel, supreme of oranges and pomegranate arils. It is so colorful and I just had to try something like it. I used one fennel bulb, shaved really thinly, 2 supremed oranges and a half cup of pomegranate arils.

Tossed those together and then  made a Pomegranate Orange Vinaigrette dressing:

Pomegranate Orange Vinaigrette

Fennel, Orange and Pomegranate Salad

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons pomegranate juice concentrate
a pinch each of salt and pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Mixed them into a jar and shook until blended, then drizzled just a little over the salad, and passed the rest at the table. Just the prettiest salad,crunchy with those little bits of sweet. Delightful.

I am going to have to really be on the lookout for things to do with pomegranates. They are not so expensive just now, here where I live, and I am taking advantage while I can.


My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. Join me at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook and Pinterest.

Green Peas and Pomegranate Arils

I mentioned the other day that I made a green pea appetizer spread. Oh man, it is so good. I baked a new batch of No-Knead bread just for that. The recipe came from Michael Symon, on The Chew, but I changed it a bit. The ingredients are there, but the amounts are different. As with most recipes, you try something and add a little of this or that. Whatever tastes good. This is the recipe as I made it. It's naturally gluten-free, too.

Green Pea, Feta and Mint Spread

Green Pea, Feta and Mint Spread

1 cup frozen sweet green peas, thawed
3/4 cup feta cheese
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons olive oil, or more, as needed
salt and pepper

Thaw the peas under running water. Place them in a food processor with all ingredients except the salt and pepper. Process until well mixed, but still a little chunky. Check to see if salt is needed; the feta cheese might be salty. I put in 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt without tasting and it was too salty, so check first. Add in pepper as desired and process briefly to combine.

Okay, that said, I didn't have any lemons in the house. I usually keep limes rather than lemons, but I didn't even have any limes. What I used was Boyajian Lemon Oil, about 3 drops, cause that stuff is really strong. Do not try using lemon extract or flavoring or it will be awful. This lemon oil, for anyone who has not tried it, is pure oil of the fruit and looks, smells and tastes just like concentrated essence of the zest of the fruit. Three drops was good. I might have been able to use 4 drops, but I stopped while ahead. Next time I will use real lemon zest because I think it will make a spectacular spread just that much better.

Pomegranate Arils

This morning I decided to open up a pomegranate I had gotten a few days ago. I had it on the counter so I would remember and use it. Today was the day. I have liked pomegranate arils in past, but they were a little distractingly crunchy. I don't know if this pomegranate was more ripe, but these were sweet and only minimally crunchy. They were downright delicious. I got all the little arils out. There were two whole cups of them. That was one large pomegranate.

Supremed Grapefruit and Pomegranate Arils for breakfast

By the way, in case you didn't know, those little things are not seeds. Arils are a covering for the seed of some fruits. The aril itself is attached in some way to the plant and the seed is inside the aril covering. Mace is an aril to the nutmeg. The cotton fibers are the aril to the cotton seed.

So there I stood, tasting how sweet those little arils were and thinking I had planned to have a grapefruit for breakfast. I decided to have both. I supremed the grapefruit segments and put some pomegranate arils on top. It was, I believe, one of the prettiest breakfasts I have had.


My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. Join me at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook and Pinterest.