Cooking With Pomegranate Seeds

When I was a little girl, my grandfather always brought the first pomegranate of the season home to my mother and me. She and I would sit in the kitchen, not too close to the wallpaper (because pomegranates stain so) and devour it. I still look forward to that first pomegranate every fall, but I've always wanted to do more with those ruby-red arils bursting with flavor.

Enter Martha Stewart's "Autumn Field Greens with Spicy Pecans and Pomegranate Seeds", a recipe I found in her November 1999 Martha Stewart Living. I've been making a slightly adapted version of that "festive salad" now for ten years--for every Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas--and still love it. 

But I haven't given up my quest for other recipes that call for pomegranate seeds. Do you have a favorite?

Festive Salad

Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 pomegranate, seeded
1/4 cup canola oil
Spicy pecans
1 pound mixed field greens

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, and orange juice. Slowly whisk in canola oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a large bowl, toss pomegranates, pecans, vinaigrette, and the greens, and serve.

Serves 8-10

Martha Stewart Living, November 1999

--Tracy Schneider