Pomegranates galore

I have a thing for pomegranates. Well, actually I have a thing for my girlfriend who definitely has a thing for pomegranates. If I’m not mistaken, one of her favorite food moments was a chilly, very early morning spent wandering the streets of Istanbul a couple of years back that ended with glasses of freshly squeezed, brightly red, sweet and slightly sour pomegranate juice. With a view of the Golden Horn in the morning fog, that was a real treat.

I found a big pomegranate with leathery skin in the kitchen the other day. It was just waiting to expose its brightly red diamonds and I found inspiration in Diana Henry’s lovely book on Middle Eastern food. We had the salad with muhamara, a red peber mash also from Henry’s book, and a chickpea and bulgur salad from Claudia Roden’s Arabesque. With a little spicy harissa and flat breads it was quite nice.

Fennel salad with feta
Serves 2 as a side dish

1 fennel
half a pomegranate
75 g feta cheese
olive oil
vinegar, i.g. apple
fresh coriander

Trim the fennel and slice it very thinly on a mandoline from top to bottom. Toss the slices in the olive oil and apple vinegar. Put on a plate and crumble the feta on top a long with the chopped fresh coriander. Cut the pomegranate in half and beat it with a wooden spoon releasing the red seeds from the white pith.

Tags: fennel, pomegranates, salad