Pomegranates

I love pomegranates—everything about them. And I try to use them in any way I can. Sometimes I even throw a pomegranate-themed party. I lay the table with a white cloth and Persian blue plates and make a centerpiece using pomegranate fruits and leaves from my garden. I start the meal by serving small bowls of pomegranate arils (seeds) sprinkled with a little salt and golpar. I then serve pomegranate soup followed by a vegetarian version of the iconic fesenjan (pomegranate and walnut khoresh, accompanied by jeweled rice and chicken kababs, and end with a delicious dessert of pomegranate granita served over frozen yogurt. These days pomegranate arils are used more and more; indeed, I’m often asked how to seed pomegranates, see the facing page for an easy way to do this. For pomegranate juice, it’s best to make your own using the fresh fruit. If using bottled pomegranate juice, be sure to buy the pure kind, and not from concentrate. In my recipes, I also use pomegranate molasses and paste—the Sadaf brand of pomegranate molasses has a perfect balance of sweet and sour.