Pomegranate Season: From Ruby Seeds to Homemade Pomegranate Molasses
There’s something rather special about pomegranate season in the Spice House.
We love the delicious, juicy, sweet-tart crunch of pomegranate seeds — but we love how they look almost as much as how they taste.
Those gorgeous ruby-red gems, known as arils, burst with flavour and colour. Scatter them over a salad, rice dish, roasted vegetables or dessert and suddenly you have a bowl of jewels.
Pomegranates are also a nutrient-dense fruit, providing fibre, vitamins and naturally occurring antioxidants. They’re relatively low in calories and fat too — another good reason to enjoy them while they’re in season.
Our Favourite Ways to Enjoy Pomegranate
One of the joys of pomegranate is just how versatile it is. Here are a few of our favourite ways to use those beautiful ruby seeds in the Spice House.
Eat Them Fresh
Sometimes simple really is best.
Scoop out the juicy seeds and enjoy them by the handful for a wonderfully fresh, sweet-tart treat.
Brighten Up a Salad
We love tossing pomegranate seeds through spinach or rocket (arugula), adding slices of orange and some goat’s cheese or feta, then finishing with toasted nuts or seeds.
And, of course, a sprinkling of Spice&Easy Dukkah works beautifully here too!
Give Breakfast a Little Sparkle
Scatter pomegranate seeds over yoghurt, cottage cheese, porridge or overnight oats.
Not only do they add a lovely burst of flavour and crunch — they make breakfast look rather special.
We also love sprinkling them over toast spread with cream cheese or avocado.
Use Them as a Garnish
Sprinkle those beautifully sweet, tart and crunchy seeds over roasted vegetables.
They’re particularly delicious with Brussels sprouts, roasted squash and other autumn vegetables.
Make Fresh Pomegranate Juice
Press those ruby-red seeds to make a wonderfully refreshing drink — just right for one of those warm Cyprus autumn afternoons.
And if you’re lucky enough to have an abundant harvest, pomegranates can also be transformed into liqueurs, jams and marmalades to enjoy long after the season has passed.
But there’s one thing we particularly love making in the Spice House…
Homemade Pomegranate Molasses
Rich, fruity, tangy and intensely sweet-sour, pomegranate molasses is one
of our favourite ways of preserving the wonderful flavour of fresh pomegranates.
It’s widely used in Middle Eastern cooking and is remarkably versatile. Just a little can completely transform a dish.
Best of all? You can make it at home with just three ingredients.
How to Make Pomegranate Molasses
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: Approximately 1 hour 5 minutes
Total time: Approximately 1 hour 10 minutes
Makes: Approximately 1¼ cups
Ingredients
4 cups pomegranate juice
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice — approximately 1 large lemon
Method
Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. You want the liquid to simmer gently rather than boil vigorously.
Simmer uncovered for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the sugar from catching on the bottom of the pan.
After about 45 minutes, much of the liquid will have reduced. Lower the heat slightly and continue simmering for another 15–20 minutes.
Dip a spoon into the mixture. When the molasses lightly coats the back of the spoon, it’s ready.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for around 30 minutes before pouring into a clean jar.
Don’t worry if it still looks a little runny — pomegranate molasses thickens considerably as it cools.
Once completely cool, seal the jar and store it in the refrigerator.
Spice House Tip: Resist the temptation to keep cooking your molasses until it looks thick in the saucepan. It continues to thicken as it cools, and overcooking can make it far too thick.
How We Use Pomegranate Molasses in the Spice House
That lovely sweet-and-sour tang makes pomegranate molasses one of those ingredients we always find another use for.
Try it:
Whisked into salad dressings
Added to marinades
Stirred through rice, couscous and other grains
Drizzled over roasted vegetables
Mixed into dips — Muhammara is one of our favourites!
Drizzled over yoghurt, fruit, ice cream or desserts
Stirred into fizzy water for a refreshing drink
Or, for the grown-ups, add a splash to your G&T!
A Little Taste of the Season
Fresh pomegranate season doesn’t last forever, which perhaps makes us appreciate it even more. Whether you’re scattering those beautiful ruby seeds over breakfast, adding them to a colourful salad or slowly reducing the juice into a jar of homemade pomegranate molasses, it’s a wonderful ingredient to experiment with.
Sweet, tart, colourful and wonderfully versatile — that’s why we love pomegranate season in the Spice House.
Eat Well. Live Well. Cook Well.
Comments