The appearance of pomegranates in grocery stores and produce stalls signals, for me, the beginning of autumn. Following an extended Indian summer, the first cool weekend of the fall seemed to mandate a pomegranate purchase. Its interior, studded with brilliant, jewel-like seeds, oozes festivity, making it the perfect food for transitioning into the holiday season.
To remove the seeds, cut pomegranate in half. Hold one half with cut side over a bowl, and hit it with a wooden spoon or rolling pin, forcing the seeds out of the membrane and into the waiting bowl. Peel away the empty white membrane and repeat, until all seeds have fallen out.
Eat the seeds on their own, or scatter them over yogurt to add texture and tang (and healthy polyphenols!). They would also be good in a peppery arugula salad, with feta and walnuts.
Choose fruits that are bright red and heavy for their size. Interestingly, there is little correlation between apparent quality and price: my pomegranate came from Citarella and was 2.99. Street vendors, on the same day, had smaller, paler versions for 1.50, and Gristedes, my sub-par neighborhood grocer, priced similarly inferior specimens at 3.99!
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