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Saturday, October 22, 2005

Comments

mumu

I love chef tricks. Before this, I usually pick out pomegranate seeds one by one. Not my favourte fruit to buy, you can imagine.

Fatemeh

Do you know the *real* Persian way to enjoy a pomegranate on its own?

michele

What a great tip! I rarely buy pomegranates because they have somewhat intimidated me, but you make it seem rather fun. Im definitely going to get some pomegranates this week!

Brett

Mumu, you're not alone. I used to do the same thing and never understood the allure of the pomegranate. Thank you Faz!

Fatemeh, do share! Although I never worked for Faz, I did work for an amazing Persian-born chef at her now closed bistro in Palo Alto (can you guess who?). She always served pomegranate sorbet in the autumn. To this day, I've never had a better flavor of sorbet.

Michele, welcome to IPO Sardines. I hope to read about your pomegranate encounters on Oswego Tea. Congrats on your move to Paris, too.

farmgirl

It's too bad you don't have a sense of humor. Great post. : )

Melissa

Brett, it is a very clever technique! thanks for sharing it :)

Nicky

Hi Brett,
Perfect timing! Just bought a pomegranate last Friday, although I still remember a "difficult" last one (over a year ago now), that didn't want to release its seeds by no means! So I'll have to try your trick within the next days! I'm curious to see how it goes ;)

Brett

Farmgirl, I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about me bashing the poor pomegranates;-P

Melissa, more than happy to share techniques I've learned in my culinary journey.

Nicky, good luck with your pomegranate (and don't wear white!).

Fatemeh

Oy, sorry I've taken so long to come back! Last week at this job is driving me mad.

Learning how to enjoy a pomegranate is something every little Persian learns early. Basically, take a ripe pom, and put it in a zip top bag. Roll the pom around (firmly) on the countertop to crush the outermost seeds. Then, open the zip top slightly, and take a small (1/2") bite into the pomegrate skin, and spit that out.

Suck all the juice out, turning the pom around, and SQUEEEEZING with your fingers to continue crushing the seeds.

No muss, no fuss. And no little tummy troubles from eating too many seeds!

Brett

Excellent tip, Fatemeh! It was worth the wait! I will definitely try this soon (note to self: wear old clothes and do it outside).

CadmiumRed

I've been eating 1/2 a pomi during the winter months for the past 3 years & found they keep all colds & flu in abeyance. This year I'm freezing the seeds for when they are no longer available...that's when I catch a cold :( So thanks so much for the great tips on removing the arils.Someone, I think Martha suggests putting the arils in ice cub trays & covering w/ water..I tried that, but I think just laying the seeds out on a plate in the freezer & then later scooping them into a storage box works just fine.The pomegranetes in the Rialto market are lovely & yellowish-pink..much smaller too & quite sweet-for anyone whose in Venice in October...Thanks again

Brett

CadmiumRed, thanks for visiting IPO Sardines. Some day I'd love to visit Venice (and the Rialto market--I've heard so much about it). The pomegranates I saw in India were similar to the ones you describe. Very sweet but not as red.

CadmiumRed

Hmmmm...India..I never thought to look while there..There's a nice bit of historic info & recipes on BBC4 regarding pomegranates
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2003_49_fri_03.shtml as well as at the FOOD SHOW-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/foodprogramme_20030112.shtml

CadmiumRed

Correction
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/foodprogramme_20030112.shtml

CadmiumRed

Hmmmm...not pasting in...so for anyone interested just do a search for pomegranates @
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/

Oliver

Hi Brett, Last night Nicky brought home a beauty of a pomegranate - so glad I remembered your post about how to properly prepare it: it worked like a charm, I couldn't believe how easy and quick it was!! Thanks for sharing!

Lori

Fantastic! Thank you. It was amazingly fast and easy. I can't believe I ever picked out every seed by hand. We're spreading the word. Many, many thanks.

Axle

Thank you. You rock my world.

Pomegranate Sam

Thanks, I am really excited to try this. I have been drinking pomegranate juice for a while and keep hearing more and more about how great it is for you!

jenn

Thanks for the post - Wish I would have read more closely about the deep in the sink part as I ended up with pink splatter all over my kitchen and me!

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