harvest

Recipe Friday – Pomegranates!!!

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With it being fall I am looking forward to all the feast days coming up. I love food…lol!! This time of year really is my favorite time just because so many things come from the harvest. Depending where you are located determines what is best for the area you are in. Nowadays, unlike when I was growing up, you can get whatever is being harvested where ever. I sort of miss the days when you had to wait for certain things for the seasons to change so they were available. There was the anticipation of the new harvest. Now everything is there anytime of the year. It’s not as exciting. But there is one fruit that I still have to wait for, for this time of the year: Pomegranates!! It might be because they are too expensive to import or they just grow in certain areas but I am so excited when fall comes around just for those 🙂 You can use them in salads, sweets, main courses, drinks, or just by themselves. For this Friday I am going to post a couple of recipes for Pomegranates…something sweet and something for dinner. Enjoy…I know I will!!

Pomegranate Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 3-pound whole chicken
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

  1. Heat pomegranate juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, let the chicken come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
  3. Brush chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Tie legs and transfer to a large ovenproof skillet.
  4. Roast chicken, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and brush with reduced pomegranate juice; let stand 10 minutes.
  5. Deglaze skillet over medium heat with stock, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until reduced by half. Strain fat. Add thyme and pomegranate seeds. Serve with chicken.

Pomegranate Scones

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar + and extra T for sprinkling
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1/4 t baking soda
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 8 Tbls butter, 1 stick or 113gm (cold or frozen)
  • 3/4 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk or half & half or cream (I guess full cream milk would work too, I used avapourated milk)
  • 1 large free-range egg

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400F / 200C.Mix the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  2. Grate the butter into the flour mixture on the large holes of a grater. Using your fingers work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb.
  3. Stir in pomegranate seeds.In another bowl, whisk the cream / milk and egg until smooth.Using a fork, stir cream/ egg mixture into flour mixture until a dough forms.
  4. Empty the dough onto a well floured surface and need briefly so that it comes together.
  5. Pat down to form a large flattened disk. Using a sharp floured knife or pastry cutter cut the dough into 8 triangles.
  6. Place these on a lined baking tray allowing space in between  each. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of sugar over the top surface of the scones.
  7. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.