Pomegranates

How can you help but love this time of year. Some of the best fruit of the year becomes available: meyer lemons, pomegranates, and this week I will try my very first Persimmon. I can't wait.  There have been some great recipes and resources about Pomegrantes available lately. Bon Appetit did a feature story on Pomegranates and included a recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash, Pomegranate and Walnut Salad. Not to mention the Pomegranate Panna Cotta! I have always wanted to make Panna Cotta at home and this seems like the perfect opportunity. 

A recent post on  Mighty Foods included some great recipe links and resources as well. We have already had two dinners this season with Pomegranate seeds: Golden Beet and Pomegranate Salad along with Soba Noodles with Broccoli, Walnuts and Pomegranates. 

I am also tempted to stock up on Pomegranates and make this Pomegranate Jelly from Simply Recipes. 

Soba Noodles with Broccoli, Walnuts, and Pomegranate

Last night I could not decide between these two recipes from Vegetarian Times:
Two Broccoli Stir-Fry on Soba Noodles

Udon Noodles with Walnuts and Pomegranates

They both looked really good and used several items from our CSA. I am feeling CSA pressure right now because our next box is coming on Thursday and we still have quite a bit left from last week. I decided to combine the elements I liked from both recipes and see how it went. Surprisingly, my biggest complaint was that it really didn't have a lot of flavor. It was lacking any "real" sauce that would stick to the noodles. As much as I like Meyer Lemons, they may have been a little too mild for this recipe.

Soba Noodles with Broccoli, Walnuts, and Pomegranate
adapted from Vegetarian Times
1 8-oz. pkg. soba noodles
Juice of one meyer lemon
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. meyer lemon zest
2 Tbs. toasted walnut oil, divided
1 12-oz. pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 cups broccoli florets
1 ½ cups red kale chopped
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
5 green onions, white and green parts chopped (about 1/3 cup)
Cook noodles in boiling salted water 3 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
Stir together lemon juice, soy sauce, maple syrup and lemon zest in bowl. Set aside. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in skillet over medium heat. Add tofu cubes, and cook 10 minutes, or until browned, turning occasionally. Add garlic and ginger to skillet; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add broccoli and Kale; cover and fry 3 to 4 minutes, or until just tender. Remove cover, stir in soy sauce mixture; stir-fry 1 minute, or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Top with walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

Golden Beet and Pomegranate Salad

When I was searching for recipes to make with my new CSA box, I knew this had to go on the list. I always try and challenge myself to make recipes that use more than one item from my CSA and this one used three (golden beets, pomegrante, salad mix), plus some local red onions I still had left from our summer CSA.

Golden Beet and Pomegranate Salad 
from Simply Recipes
3 golden beets (can use regular red beets if you want, just not as pretty)


1 cup diced red onion 


1/4 cup red wine vinegar


1/4 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth


3 tablespoons Triple Sec or other orange-flavored liqueur


1 tablespoon sugar


1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel


1 cup pomegranate seeds


Salt


2 cups arugula and butter lettuce leaves


1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

 Cook the beets - either boil them for 45 minutes or roast them at 375°F for an hour. Let cool. Peel and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.
 In a 10 to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat, boil beets, onion, vinegar, broth, liqueur, sugar, and orange peel, stirring often, until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, or chill airtight up to 1 day.
 Stir pomegranate seeds into the beet mixture and salt to taste. Serve on top of salad greens on individual plates. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
Serves 4.