SC - frozen pomegranate seeds

[Anne-Marie Rousseau]

Hi all from AM!
A possible use for pomegranite seeds....Pomegranite Chicken! Like the
pomegranite sauce for pork already suggested, but slightly different
ingredients and documentably period (at least for you middle eastern
types).

The recipe follows...this stuff is wonderful and a big hit with the meat
and potatoes crowd when served with cous cous (also period, when cooked
with broth and butter). Great for tourneys, its so easy. If you use a cast
iron pot, it is rather brown, but if you use a stainless steel pot its a
pretty dark red. The pomegranite chicken calls for walnuts, but since they
appear to be my singular food allergy, I chose to sub with almonds.
Interestingly, the Persian restaurants here in Seattle have something like
this on their menus. Course, since they use the proper walnuts, I can't try
it, but it appears to be less sweet-sour, and  is far more soupy. Oh, and
the chicken pieces are bone in, for the modern "authentic" version.
Interesting!

As always feel free to use my recipe, I just ask that you let me know, cite
me in any publications and let me know how it worked for you too! These and
other recipies are the ones in the last Serve it Forth, I believe.

Enjoy!

Recipes from An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the Thirteenth Century,
translated by Charles Perr (in A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance
Cookbooks. 6th Edition, ed. by Duke Cariadoc and Duchess Diana Alene,
privately published. Vol 1, 1991, Vol 2, 1993.)

Another Tabahajiyya (A37)
Cut the meat up small and fry with oil and salt, and when it is brown, cook
it until done with vinegar. Pound a handful of almonds or walnuts and throw
them on and boil a while. Take pomegranate juice and dissolve in it a lump
of sugar to get rid of its tartness, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Pomegranite Chicken
6 chicken breasts, hacked to gobbets
1-2 T olive oil to sautee
1/2 tsp salt to sprinkle on breasts
1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T sugar
1/2 cup pomegranite molasses or syrup**
1/2 cup white wine or cider vinegar 
6 T pounded almonds

Chunk and salt the chicken, brown in oil 'til almost done. Meanwhile, make
a sauce of the water, sugar and pomegranite syrup. Boil to blend. When the
chicken is almost totally cooked, dump in the vinegar. Then add the sauce,
along with the almonds. Simmer till the sauce is thick, about five minutes
on a hard boil. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve on cous cous. Serves 6.

**If you canÕt find pomegranite syrup at a local middle eastern market, you
can use pomegranite juice, but youÕll need to add more sugar and omit the
water. By using the pomegranite molasses, I can save a bit of cooking down
time.

Soldier's Couscous (Kuskusu Fityani) (A55)
The usual moistened couscous is known by the whole world. The Fityani  is
the one where the meat is cooked with its vegetables, as is usual, and when
it is done, take out the meat and the vegetables from the pot and put them
to one side; strain the bones and rest from the broth and return the pot to
the fire; when it has boiled, put in the couscous cooked and rubbed with
fat and leave it for a little on a reduced fire or the hearthstone until it
takes in the proper amount of the sauce; then throw it on a platter and
level it, put on top if it the cooked meat and vegetables, sprinkle it with
cinnamon and serve it. This is called Fityani  in Marrakesh.

Soldier's Cous cous
2 c. cous cous
1 can veggie broth + 1 canful water
4 T. butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 t. salt

In a large pot with a good lid, bring the broth and water to a boil. Stir
in the cous cous, and clap on the lid. Let sit off the heat until all the
water is absorbed. Stir in the butter and sprinkle heavily with cinnamon.
Fluff with a fork to keep from being gloppy. Serves 6-8 generously.


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