Festive fruit
EVEN though the season is well under way, pomegranates are one of the fruits that I definitely associate with Christmas. Pomegranates have been cultivated and appreciated since ancient times. In the
Old Testament, Moses assured the Israelites that they would find them again in the Promised Land and according to Persian lore, Eve actually ate a pomegranate from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, not an apple.
In classical legend, Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of fruit, was carried off to the underworld by Pluto. She vowed not to eat while in captivity, but succumbed and ate a pomegranate, spitting out all the seeds except six, which she swallowed. When Pluto finally gave in to Demeter, he was allowed to keep Persephone for six months of every year because of those seeds, and these six months became winter.
Ancient Egyptians buried their dead with pomegranates because they believed the fruit offered eternal life. It is also featured in mythology and tradition as a symbol of good tiding and the Chinese eat candied pomegranate seeds for good luck.
I tend to be wary when something is declared a “superfood”, but if claims are correct, pomegranates are bursting with vitamins A, C, and E, not to mention folic acid. They have far more antioxidant power than red wine or green tea and may help reduce the risk of developing heart disease or osteoarthritis.
Pomegranates are widely used in Near and Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly in Persian (Iranian) cooking. Many recipes from the region call for pomegranate molasses (nar ekşisi), which has become a very fashionable ingredient in recent years, due in no small way to the continuing popularity of Yottam Ottolenghi, who seems to use it or fresh pomegranate seeds in virtually every recipe.
Pomegranates are delicious and a very useful ingredient but I must admit I am getting slightly tired of the “pomegranate with everything” trend. This Christmas, pomegranate seeds are being liberally sprinkled over all sorts of brussels sprouts dishes. One very prestigious food website is touting burnt sprouts with pomegranate and sesame as a side dish. Frankly, I think that sounds awful. As Diana Henry said last month in the Daily
Telegraph, “Please just take the pomegranate seeds away, they don’t work with brussels sprouts.”
However, they do work with salads and in amongst all the rich dishes this festive season, it is worth having a refreshing salad up your sleeve.
POMEGRANATE, TOMATO AND MINT SALSA
400g ripe tomatoes, diced 1 red pepper, diced 1 green pepper, diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped 1 plump garlic clove, crushed A generous pinch of ground allspice (yenibahar)
A generous pinch of dried oregano or thyme (kekik)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar (elma sirkesi) 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (nar ekşisi)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra Salt and black pepper to season Seeds from a large pomegranate A small handful of fresh mint leaves, torn, plus a sprig for garnish
Mix the chopped tomatoes, peppers and onion together in a salad bowl. Put the garlic, allspice, oregano, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, oil and a little salt into a screw-top jar, seal and shake until thoroughly combined into a dressing. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Drizzle the dressing over the mixture in the bowl and season well with black pepper. Toss gently then sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and torn mint leaves. Drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with a mint sprig just before serving.
A pomegranate sorbet is also a good, refreshing standby to have in the freezer. This is the recipe we’ve used for some years now, adapted from one of Diana Henry’s. Do make sure you use proper orange and pomegranate juice, not “drink”, or you can halve and squeeze your own fruit.
BLOOD ORANGE AND POMEGRANATE SORBET
450ml blood orange juice 300ml pomegranate juice Juice of a lemon 150g granulated sugar
Pour the two juices into a measuring jug, add the lemon juice and stir well.
Put the sugar into a saucepan with 100ml water and heat gently, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. When it has dissolved completely, add it to the fruit juice and set aside in the fridge to chill.
When thoroughly chilled, churn in an ice-cream machine or freeze in a wide, shallow container. If you use the freezer, beat the mixture with an electric hand mixer or in a food processor four times during the freezing process. Do it first when the juice has frozen round the edges of the container, then a further three times over the next 12 hours or so as it freezes further, until you have a smooth sorbet. Cover the container and keep in the freezer until required. It does set hard but goes soft quickly, so remember that when you serve it and don’t leave the container out of the freezer for longer than necessary.
If you can’t find blood orange juice, use ordinary orange juice but swap the quantities over, to keep the glorious ruby colour.
Skipping to New Year, a traditional dish in Cyprus is GOLIFA.
We like it so much that we eat it throughout the winter with yoghurt for breakfast, but traditionally it is served as a dessert. The ingredients are significant: wheat for everlasting life, raisins and nuts for joy and sweetness, pomegranate seeds for plenty and fertility. You can vary the proportions of ingredients according to your personal preference.
Whole wheat (buy the one marked aşurelik) Raisins Sultanas Blanched almonds Pomegranate seeds Sesame seeds
Soak the wheat in boiling water until soft, then drain thoroughly. Tip it into a bowl, add all the other ingredients and mix well together. Transfer to a shallow serving dish and decorate the top with extra almonds.
If stored properly, pomegranates keep for a long time. Leave a bit of stalk on when you pick them and string them up in a cool, dry, airy place. We festoon them like bunting round the garage. The skins will dry out but providing the fruit was sound to begin with, it will be all right inside. If you don’t manage to eat them all before the next crop ripens, don’t worry — you can always spray the old ones with gold paint and use them as Christmas decorations!
And that’s it for another year. It’s not been an easy year on all sorts of fronts, so here’s to a better 2020 for all of us.