Ruby’s Three Pomegranate Chicken

(Feeds six)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken cut into eighths or 6 chicken breasts or thighs (skin on)

2 cups pomegranate juice

1 1/3 cups pomegranate syrup (also called pomegranate molasses)

6-8 garlic cloves (depending on size and strength)

¼ cup (1-2 oz) chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil

Seeds from half a pomegranate plus whole mint leaves for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a covered container or plastic zip bag, place the chicken along with the juice, syrup, garlic, mint, and pepper. Marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight, turning over occasionally or shaking bag.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove chicken from marinade (set marinade aside, you’ll be using it) and sear in butter, skin side down in a pan (preferably cast iron, but any pan will do) for 5-6 minutes until skin is crisp. Place chicken in baking dish and bake for approx 40 minutes, or until it is done. Breasts will cook quicker than a whole cut-up chicken; check periodically to make sure it doesn’t dry out. (Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, if you are using a kitchen thermometer.)

While the chicken is cooking, put reserved marinade into a pot over medium-low heat and boil slowly until it is reduced to a thick and syrupy consistency. (You will end up with about half the liquid you started with.) Skim as needed to remove any impurities that float to the top.

Serve chicken over rice, orzo, or couscous. You can also cut the chicken breast into smaller pieces and wrap it in a crepe if you want to get really fancy. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and sprigs of mint, and drizzle syrup over the top. Remember to make it pretty! You eat with your eyes as well as your mouth.

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 Simple Pomegranate Couscous (goes great with the chicken)

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked couscous

Seeds from half a fresh pomegranate

Zest from one lemon, plus 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped or torn

Garam masala (an Indian spice mixture) to taste—you won’t need much, ¼ tsp or less

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup of pine nuts or slivered almonds

Toss all ingredients together and let sit for at least 10 minutes to meld.

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Pomegranate Baklava – Recipe from the lovely Barbara O’Neal, revised from her book, The Lost Recipe for Happiness, which I highly recommend.

1 1/2 cups light honey
1 cup sugar
1 T rosewater
1 cup plus 2 T pomegranate juice
Seeds of one pomegranate, divided in half
2 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped pistachios
½ vanilla bean, scraped
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 pkg phyllo dough

Syrup: Combine the sugar, honey, juice and rosewater in a heavy small pot. Stir constantly while bringing to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat at let cool, then add ½ pomegranate seeds.

Preheat the oven to 425

Mix spices, nuts, and vanilla bean seeds into ½ stick of melted butter.
Butter a 13 x 9 inch glass pan.

On a clean work surface, unroll the phyllo and generously butter one layer at a time and lay it in the pan, then repeat until you’ve used half the dough. Spread the nuts and other ½ of pomegranate seeds evenly over the pastry, reserving about ¼ (mixed nuts and seeds) for the topping.

Continue buttering and layering the dough on top of the filling until all the dough has been used. Brush the top with remaining butter.  With a small sharp knife, cut the pastry layers into diamonds, then bake for 50-60 minutes until golden, watching carefully to see that it doesn’t burn.  Toward the end of baking, scatter leftover arils and nuts over the top.

When baking is finished, pour the syrup over the hot pastry, and serve when cool.

 

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate, Pecans, and Bacon

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

Seeds from one pomegranate

½ cup pecans, lightly toasted in a pan

Zest from 1 lemon

Zest from half an orange

Salt & pepper to taste

Optional: 2-4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Toss Brussels sprouts with oil, salt and pepper, and roast for about 45 minutes, until soft on the inside and lightly browned.

Place sprouts in a bowl and mix with other ingredients. If using bacon, sprinkle on top.

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Roasted Beet Salad with Pomegranate and Blood Orange

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of red, or mixed red and golden, beets.

1 blood orange, peeled and separated, with segments cut in half

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper or garam masala

Optional: ¼ cup fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish

Optional: Toasted walnuts or almonds for garnish

 

Directions:

Roast beets (whole if they are small, or cut into pieces if they are larger) in 350 degree oven until tender.

Toss with all other ingredients, top with seeds and nuts if using

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Pomegranate Fizz (non-alcoholic)

Mix 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses, ¼ cup of pomegranate juice, and ½ teaspoon of sugar or honey or maple syrup. Crush a few mint leaves and put them in a glass, add the pomegranate mixture and then fill the glass with seltzer.

Pomegranate Party Fizz (alcoholic)

Mix one third pomegranate juice with one third orange juice (if you can find blood orange juice or squeeze your own, it elevates this to a whole new level), then one third champagne or prosecco. If you want, toss a few pomegranate seeds into the bottom of the glass. Heaven!