10 THINGS TO DO WITH A POMEGRANATE.

Because it's like adding sparkles to your food. And because people keep telling us to open it in a bowl of water, and they really shouldn't.

Think of this gorgeous crimson fruit as a disco ball of goodness, glittering with antioxidants. For me, pomegranate triggers a rush to the head, with dancing visions of translucent jewels, exotic beauty and ancient cultures. And I just love what it brings to the party – sweetly, fruitily acidic seeds (arils) and lip-staining juices.

HOW TO OPEN A POMEGRANATE

Never open a pomegranate in a bowl of water as so many people tell you to do. They’re out of their minds. It’s the juices you’re after as much as the arils, so why would you wash them all away? That’s as bad as washing an oyster.

Perhaps they do it because they’re scared of being sprayed with crimson juice, but as long as you use a nice big bowl – and maybe not wear a completely white outfit -  you should be fine. First, look for large, heavy, fruit with tough, deeply red skin.

• Cut the pomegranate in half, and hold each half – seed-side down - over a big bowl.

• Give the shell a little massage to get the juices flowing, then whack the back of it with a wooden spoon a few times.

• Give it another squeeze, and another whack, and the arils will simply fall like rain.

• Winkle the last of them out with a teaspoon, and pick out any white membrane that has fallen in with the seeds, and you’re good to go.

One pomegranate should give up a scant cup of pomegranate seeds, in their own juices.

10 THINGS TO DO WITH IT.

1. Scatter the seeds over cured salmon with a citrussy salad of orange and mandarin. The colours, the colours.

2. Toss through a winter salad of torn crimson radicchio, oven-roasted beetroot and walnuts.

3. With the breakfast yoghurt – of course, but you knew that already. And over a halved, stoned avocado – sorry, you knew that one too? Jeez, you’re good.

4. Bake this rhubarb and pomegranate tart from Good Food for double the seasonal currency.

5. Roast wedges of pumpkin and serve with hummus, muhammara or tzatziki (okay, any dip at all) and scatter with pomegranate and pistachios.

6. Drain the arils and spoon over iced chocolate, orange or carrot cake for instant pop.

7. Turn your next stew of beef cheeks or brisket into a tagine with Middle Eastern spices, and serve with mixed parsley and pomegranate strewn over the top.

8. Pommies would be amazing over the right sort of pizza, and especially over Turkish lahmacun topped with a rubble of minced lamb or beef.

9. Apply to anything with an angelically white canvas - think pavlova, Indian rice pilaf, panna cotta for maximum impact.

10. Make a pomegranate vinaigrette for winter salads:  whisk 2 tbsp pomegranate juice with 1 tsp Dijon mustard, dash of red wine vinegar, 1 tsp honey or maple syrup, sea salt and pepper, then slowly pour in 2 tbsp olive oil, whisking until it thickens slightly.

    Okay, so it’s now eleven things to do with a pomegranate. So sue me.

11. Just make a big, juicy tabbouleh and serve it with merguez sausages as seen here. Or serve it with felafel, kofta, roasted cauliflower, wedges of roasted pumpkin, pan-fried haloumi or crumbled feta; all good.

TABBOULEH WITH MERGUEZ AND POMEGRANATE

Cracked wheat (also burghul or bulghur) brings a lovely nuttiness to tabbouleh. Feel free to go nuts and add a scattering of crushed walnuts or pistachio as well. Serves 2 to 4.

150 g fine cracked wheat

good bunch of parsley (about 75g), washed and de-stalked

handful of mint leaves, washed

2 spring (green) onions, finely chopped

1 or tomatoes, finely diced (plus any juices)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

half tsp sea salt

4 to 8 thin merguez sausages

100 g hummus or Greek-style yoghurt

Half cup pomegranate seeds and juices

COVER cracked wheat with boiling water, stirring, and leave for 30 minutes to soften.  See below* if it isn’t soft enough at this stage.

HEAT the oven to 200C, and roast the merguez for 20 minutes or until nicely browned.

WHISK the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon and sea salt in a large bowl.

DRAIN the cracked wheat, squeeze out excess water and toss in the dressing.

CHOP the parsley, mint and spring onions – not finely, but not too roughly either.

ADD the parsley, mint, spring onions and tomato to the burghul and toss well with your hands. Bit more sea salt maybe, to taste.

ARRANGE merguez on top of tabbouleh.

TOP with a few dollops of hummus or yoghurt.

SCATTER with pomegranate seeds and juice and serve.

*Sometimes, cracked wheat just won’t soften sufficiently after 30 minutes of soaking, in which case, drain and repeat with more boiling water. In a hurry? Bring it to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes, but keep taste-testing it, you want it sort of bloomed and still with texture, not soft-soft. Drain well and continue on your merry way.

Tip: If you’re caught in a cold snap and don’t feel like salad, just warm the tabbouleh gently, covered in foil, in the oven, and pour yourself a glass of red. Keep warm!

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Thanks for reading! Feel free to subscribe for more Jill Dupleix Eats in your inbox every Thursday.  And special thanks to my right-hand man, Terry Durack, for taking me to lunch at the beautiful Kepos Street Kitchen, where I picked up these fab crunchy-skinned merguez for dinner from the deli fridge.

I would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I fully support the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to be enshrined in Australia’s Constitution. It’s about time, folks.