Gone to seed
When I was at hotel school in Cathal Brugha Street in Dublin in the late ’60s, the street traders in Moore Street called them wine apples. They sounded and looked so exotic with their little crown-like calyx, but I had no idea what to do with them.
They’re a bit strange if you just eat them like a fruit - lots of gritty pips if you decide to chew. Pomegranates are at their best at the moment.
They come from the Middle East and the Mediterranean and nowadays India, China, Saudi Arabia and the Central Valley in California. They flourish where summer temperatures reach 38C/100F. They need a hot, dry climate to ripen, which explains why my pomegranate ‘tree’ is not doing so well in Shanagarry.
The seeds vary in colour, sometimes they can be disappointingly pale. If you have a choice, seek out a variety called ‘Wonderful’ which has brilliant red seeds.
Although pomegranates are relatively exotic on our food scene, they have been part of the human diet for millennia; their cultivation pre-dates written history and in many eastern cultures they are a symbol of fertility.
The seeds are also delicious in couscous, sprinkled over sweet or savoury salads, or in winter game casseroles.
Their sweet, tart juice also tenderises meats, especially lamb.
One of my favourite new ingredients, pomegranate molasses - thick, syrupy, concentrated juice produced in the Middle East - is now available in Asian shops, delis and some more adventurous supermarkets. It is great in salad dressings, splashed into drinks, added to a marinade or just drizzled over cooked food - and it keeps for ages.
Extracting the seeds: this can be, but doesn’t have to be, a messy business. Cut the fruit in half around the equator. Some cooks suggest holding the pomegranate cut-side down in the palm of the hand or on a plate, then bashing the upturned fruit with the back of a wooden spoon to loosen the seeds. This works pretty well but is certainly messy and a little hazardous - pomegranate juice leaves a stubborn stain on clothes, so cover up with a dark apron.
Or you can choose the slower, more pernickety option of cutting the fruit in half and then breaking each half in two, and going on to flick out the seeds from each section, avoiding the creamy, yellow, coloured pith.
Juicing: Some recipes call for pomegranate juice - I find that a citrus juicer works well for this. Fresh pomegranate juice, or indeed just the seeds, can have a dramatic effect on reducing the bad cholesterol in our system - another good reason to take advantage of the short season; you’ll find them in the shops from October to February.
Unfortunately, their appearance gives very little clue as to their ripeness but choose fruit that looks fresh, not dried out. Organic fruit will have more seeds and less membrane. Markets and fruit shops sometimes cut one fruit in half to demonstrate the quality and colour of the seeds.
