Salad with Pomegranate Gremolata

Is it poor form to scoop off all of the pomegranate seeds for myself?

With the exception of some of the vegetable components, this is exactly taken from this recipe by Aida Mollenkamp. Pomegranate gremolata is the magic here. Its name is pretentious and it takes a little more time to prepare than your average salad, but it's worth it. I might start putting it in everything I eat.

Ready to go on a salad... or salmon... or a grilled cheese sandwich... or...

The gremolata is just pomegranate seeds, parsley, shallots, and orange zest. Mix them together, season, and it's done. Put it on your salad, or anything else, for instant fancy deliciousness and texture.

I really liked the dressing on this salad, too. If you don't have pomegranate molasses (and don't feel like reducing pomegranate juice to make it), it's also good without it. You could maybe substitute a little more honey and some kind of fruit juice for a similar effect.

The Recipe:

1 c pomegranate seeds

3 tb parsley, finely copped

1 shallot, minced

1/2 tsp orange zest

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

2 tb pomegranate molasses

2 tb red wine vinegar

1 tb honey

1 tb dijon mustard

salad greens (I used 1 head of green leaf lettuce)

other recommended salad ingredients: avocado, pears, celery

Combine the pomegranate seeds, parsley, shallot, and orange zest in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
In another bowl, combine oil, molasses, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper to create the dressing.
Toss the greens with the dressing and top with the gremolata.

The Verdict:

Overall grade: B+

Overall reason: A great change of pace, but takes some time and expensive ingredients.

Time to prepare: 30 minutes, 10 of which is extracting pomegranate seeds.

Husband quote: "I like pomegranates now."

Comments

Kitchen renovation!

BEFORE: AFTER: Still to come: a beautiful new induction range and some wood shelving on the left side, above the backsplash. And maybe the shelving unit on the wall facing the cabinets should be green, but we're going to live with a while before making that decision.

Adzuki Beans with Black Rice

I hope I don't turn any readers away by featuring cilantro in my first photo. My current food obsession is black rice. I was first introduced to it at Sushi Pure . It's purple when cooked, and I was completely smitten when purple sushi arrived at our table. I mean, purple sushi! It was like my birthday or something. Actually, it might have been my birthday, because I pretty much always have sushi on my birthday, but anyway. It's kind of sweet and has this great chewy texture. When I learned how healthy it is , my crush evolved to full-out love. Sushi Pure's Spicy Tuna Roll (photo from FoodSpotting.com) In my ongoing research for ingredients that are low in calories but high in nutrition, adzuki (also spelled azuki) beans came up. I learned that these are the sweet red beans used in Japanese desserts, including red bean ice cream, which I've been obsessed with since I was a kid. But since turning them into ice cream probably negates the health benef...

Spicy Tomato Jam

Little pot of bubbling goodness seeks lentil patties, sweet potato fries, or pretty much anything else. I recently made this recipe from Crumb Blog for lentil patties with tomato jam. The lentil patties were pretty good, but the tomato jam was really something to write home about. It's one of those foods that makes you feel warm, even when it's cold. It has just the right balance of sweetness, acidity, and spice. The mustard seeds are a must (haha, must ard seeds). Their crunch, and the little burst of toasty peppery flavor that follows, are amazing in contrast to the rest of the flavors. The next time you're tempted to put ketchup on something, consider this instead. I have a little bit of this gold left over in the freezer. I'm thinking I may thin it out with vegetable broth and use it as a sauce for a stir-fry. Stay tuned for the results. The only change I made to this recipe was upping the amount of mustard seeds. I think 1 tsp is the perfect a...

Adventures of a healthy-ish pseudo-foodie

Search This Blog