SC - Pomegranate seeds

[LadyPDC@aol.com]

Christi Rigby wrote:

> Stefan,
> 
> There is no substitute.  Pomegranate taste and the hassle of them are very
> hard to substitute.  The entire fruit of the pomegranate is in the seeds.
> They are little red seeds inside a casing that has to be removed.  You
> should be able to find them in the grocery store in the fruit and veggie
> aisle.

Stefan,

Christi's right- there really is no substitute. Pomegranates taste
like... pomegranates. But there's a bazillion of the little seeds
inside, so if you only need a few...

They are usually about the size of a softball, and have a mottled light
red skin. The blossom end has the little 'chimney' that sticks out, with
lots of tiny pistils inside, rather like a fig (come to think of it, are
they related to figs? does anyone know?). Pick one that feels 'heavy'
and has no brown spots or soft spots. Around here they're seasonal- oh,
November to February. They're best around Christmastime. The groceries
around here usually stock them with the 'weird' fruit- pomelos,
uglifruit, kumquats, starfruit, etc. They've been about $2 each this
year, but the quality has been good.

Getting one open is a trick- there's not slot or tab to start it with. I
usually feel around until I can find one of the obvious segment
divisions, then I smack it on the edge of the counter, kind of like
those chocolate oranges (another of my vices). Wrench it apart- it will
squirt juice everywhere, and IT WILL NOT WASH OUT, so don't wear your
best white dinner jacket. After that, it's just a matter of picking the
seeds out. The seeds look like jewels- they're a brilliant deep red and
have little 'facets'. Your fingers will be stained, and so will your
mouth. But it's worth it. And- don't bother trying to bite the pulp off
and spit the actual seed out- it's not worth it, you'll lose pulp, and
besides that- seeds that size won't hurt you- Granny called them
'roughage'!

Happy hunting!

'Lainie