YOUR SEASONAL PRODUCE WATCH with Matt Golinski P O M E G R A N AT E S
THE glistening, ruby red seeds of the pomegranate are a gift of Autumn, and add a special sweet and sour punch to both savoury dishes and desserts. Originating in the Middle East, pomegranates are now used in dishes in all corners of the globe, including South American and Asian cuisine. Their name derives from a combination of the Latin words ‘Pomum’ (apple) and ‘Granatum’ (seeded). The French term for the fruit is Grenade, which is the origin of the word for the military ‘grenade’, and the red syrup used for making cocktails, Grenadine. When preparing a pomegranate, the seeds must be removed from the skin and bitter pith and should be handled gently so as to not break the seeds which releases their juice when ruptured. I like to run a small knife around the fruit from top to bottom, just enough to break the skin but not cut into the seeds, then gently pull the two halves apart. Working with one half at a time gently prise the seeds out with your fingers - doing it submerged in a bowl of water is good because you don’t end up covered in red juice, and the seeds fall to the bottom and the pith rises to the top and can be scooped off. The seeds can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Great in a salad to go with chicken, pork or lamb, mixed through couscous to accompany a tagine, or just sprinkled on yoghurt or ice cream.
BBQ LAMB FOREQUARTER CHOPS WITH E G G P L A N T, P O M E G R A N AT E , F E T TA A N D M I N T INGREDIENTS: 1kg lamb forequarter chops 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1cm rounds 100gm spinach 1 pomegranate, seeds removed 75gm Persian style fetta ½ cup mint leaves 30ml olive oil Juice of 1 lemon Salt and pepper
METHOD: 1. Lightly oil the eggplant slices and spread in a single layer on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and roast for 15 minutes at 200°C or until they are soft and lightly golden. Once cool, cut each disc in half. 2. Wilt the spinach in a hot pan and add to the eggplant. Gently mix with the juice of half the lemon and the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly oil and season the lamb chops and cook on a hot BBQ or grill pan. 4. Arrange on a bed of the eggplant and spinach mixture and squeeze over the remaining lemon juice. 5. Crumble the fetta over the lamb and sprinkle with lots of pomegranate seeds and the fresh mint leaves. 6. Serve with couscous or rice pilaf. Serves 4
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