44 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY november 30-december 6, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com As holiday talk builds to a festive pitch, and the cold darkness moves to embrace you, don’t sleep on pomegranate season. It’s on, and ready to sneak back into your life. With a fresh pomegranate in your palm, you have magic at your fingertips. Wave your hand, and food becomes more beautiful, more delicious and more exciting. Toss those juicy rubies on salad, soup, steak, linguine al funghi, Brazilian black bean soup, granola and yogurt. The flavor added by these fleshy seed packages, called arils, matches the color: sharp and sweet. Those arils don’t just make a garnish with pizzaz, they can be used as the substance of a meal, as one would use rice or pasta: a plate of fried arils with eggs on top, for example, or a bowl of arils and salad. So can a bowl of plain arils, which looks like a bowl full of jewels and tastes like an unparalleled luxury. To the uninitiated, it won’t be obvious how to extract the arils. This technique comes from Turkey, where one fall day a food writer named Robyn Eckhardt sat down with a group of women, 100 kilos of fresh pomegranates and some pieces of plastic pipe. They spent the day liberating the arils inside. Here is Eckhardt’s technique: “Gently squeeze one pomegranate half, cut side down, over a wide deep bowl to loosen the seeds. Place it cut side down in your nondominant hand. Spread your fingers to create a ‘sieve’ through which the seeds can fall. With the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula, tap the pomegranate all over; dislodged seeds will fall, with the juices, into the bowl (the bits of bitter white membrane will remain in your hand). Continue tapping, turning the pomegranate in your hand, until most of the seeds are dislodged. If any white membrane has fallen into the bowl, pick it out. Strain the seeds from the juice; you can reserve the juice for another use.” The first time I tried this method, my open hand was powerless to stop the flow of arils, as if a floodgate had opened. But at least I had a bowl to catch them. That day, Eckhardt and her friends were preparing nar eksisi, or Turkish pomegranate molasses. When made with 100-percent pomegranate juice and no additives, she says, it has as delicate and eye-opening a flavor as a fine balsamic. Among brands that an American could easily order online, Eckhardt’s favorite is Mymoune. There is a recipe in Eckhardt’s book, Istanbul & Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey, that calls for both the arils and the syrup. The salad is an exciting ride, with many strong personalities balancing one another in spectacular fashion. Each bite is a different little drama, with spice, fat, herbs and salty chunks of cheese, all splashed with tangy pomegranate juice. It will brighten any table, any time of year. First course California is the leading producer of pomegranates in the United States. The beautiful fruit is typically in season from September through November. Early Bird Gets The…If you happen to find yourself at Allegro Pizzeria Carmel before 6pm, you can take advantage of the “Spuntino Special.” Early birds get a little bit of everything from bruschetta and salad to pasta and garlic bread and cannoli and a glass of wine, all for just $20. Get a full meal while the night is young, and all without breaking the bank. 3770 The Barnyard, Carmel. 626-5454, allegrogourmetpizzeriamenu. com. Dungeness Delay…Monterey County’s Dungeness crab fishing season was planned to begin on Dec. 1, but is being pushed until the conditions in the bay have been reassessed and deemed suitable for trapping. The next assessment will take place on Dec. 7— trapping cannot begin until the number of humpback whales in the area significantly decreases. Gift Of Grazing…Learn the art of making an appetizing grazing board at the Earthbound Farm farmstand in a class on Sunday, Dec. 3 from 1-4pm. Learn how to beautifully organize snacks, cheeses and produce with the help of Chef Hollie Jackson. Participants can sip and socialize while creating their own board to take home. Tickets are $85 per person, $45 for guests who want to help but not take home a own; available at eventbrite.com. 7250 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. 625-6219, earthboundfarm.com. Hawaiian Style…Keoki’s Hawaiian Barbecue Carry-Out serves up breakfast with all the island-style staples like big kahuna pancakes, Spam and egg sandwiches, ube cream French toast and more. Stop by and grab a taste of the islands from 6-10am Monday through Friday. 3170 Vista Del Camino Circle, Marina. 809-8644, instagram. com/khbmarina. Sunday Special…Enjoy select bottles of wine for 50-percent off on Wednesdays at Seventh & Dolores. The selection of bottles on special changes weekly. 7th Avenue and Dolores Street, Carmel. 293-7600, 7dsteakhouse.com. To Market…Get your holiday shopping on at Stokes Adobe on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 1-7pm. The restaurant is hosting a winter market where you can sip craft cocktails while shopping for handmade jewelry, art, pottery, clothing and other goods. 500 Hartnell St., Monterey. 264-8775, stokesadobe.com. By Jacqueline Weixel morsels Send a bite to eatanddrink@mcweekly.com Eat + DrinK shutterstock Winter Wonder This pomegranate salad recipe will brighten any table, any time of the year. By Ari LeVaux Sun-Dried Tomato and Pomegranate Salad Serves six to eight as a meze, or four as a side dish 20 sun-dried tomatoes 1 medium pomegranate, cut in half horizontally 1 hot green chile, such as jalapeño or Anaheim, sliced (In winter I prefer chili flakes, such as Aleppo) 1/4 cup fresh mint or flat-leaf parsley, or a combination, chopped finely 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/4 cup fruity olive oil 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (if you can get the pure stuff; otherwise use lemon juice) Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in warm water until soft and pliable, 10 to 20 minutes. While the tomatoes are soaking, seed the pomegranate. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and pat dry, then slice (or cut with kitchen scissors) into ¼-inch-wide strips. Arrange the tomato strips on a small plate and top with pepper slices (or chili flakes). Sprinkle over the mint or parsley, and then the cheese and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle over the olive oil and pomegranate molasses and serve immediately.
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