Current mood:	hungry
Current music:	Marillion, 'Kayleigh'.
Entry tags:	cooking, food

Pomegranate chicken.
Last night, I made pomegranate chicken for dinner. At the request of several people (when we hit an even dozen, I tend to listen), I am posting the recipe here for others to play with. This is actually two different recipes -- pomegranate slurry, and pomegranate chicken. You need the one to make the other. So:

Pomegranate Slurry.

You will need:

1-2 large pomegranates, depending on the size of the batch you want to make (I usually make it with two, because I don't enjoy making slurry more often than I have to)
A lot of sugar (it's impossible to really give an accurate measurement, because the quantity of seeds varies so much from pomegranate to pomegranate -- basically, you want an equal volume of fruit and sugar)
Water
One small pot (I use a gravy pot)
One wooden or metal stirring spoon
One jar or other freezer-safe container
A metal strainer in which fruit can be crushed to release juices

Fill the pot with water and set it on the stove. While the water is coming to a boil, de-seed the pomegranates. Add a handful of seeds to the water once it has come to a boil, adding an equal amount of sugar. Continue until the pot is approximately half-full of pomegranate seeds. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. With your spoon, begin removing the pomegranate seeds and dropping them into the strainer. Do not drain off the water.

Using your spoon, crush the pomegranate seeds above the water, allowing the juice to run back into the sugar-water. The boiling will have softened the fruit, making this process easier. (If you have a juicer, you may just be able to juice your seeds at the beginning, and skip this whole process.) Repeat until all seeds have been boiled, balanced with sugar, and juiced back into the pot.

Allow the contents of the pot to boil down, adding more sugar if necessary, until you have reduced the pomegranate(s) to a thick, honey-like purple syrup. Allow this syrup to cool, then place it in the freezer-safe container which you have provided for this process. Place in freezer.

Makes between 1/4-3/4s of a cup of thick pomegranate syrup. If done properly, it will keep indefinately in your freezer. It will not freeze: the sugar content is too high. One batch of pomegranate slurry is enough to make approximately five chicken dinners. It's high-labour, but you get to 'harvest the fruits', so to speak, for a very long time afterwards.

(Besides, it's fun to keep something that won't freeze in your freezer. It scares the neighbors.)

And now for part two of our kitchen adventure:

Pomegranate Chicken.

You will need:

1 fresh raw chicken, three to five pounds
1 large pomegranate
4-5 small white potatoes
2-3 carrots
1 white onion
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups white wine
2 tablespoons pomegranate slurry (see above)
Roasting dish
Basting brush
Assorted cutlery
Bowl for pomegranate seeds

Clean and prep your chicken for roasting, placing it in the roasting dish. De-seed your pomegranate into the bowl, placing it next to your roasting dish. Rub down the chicken with salt and pepper, working it carefully into the body cavity and around the legs. Spread the crushed garlic over the top of the chicken, again working it carefully around the crevices and sides of the chicken.

Take approximately one half of the available pomegranate seeds and stuff them into the cavity of the chicken. They should fit easily, not filling all available space -- the goal is not to make stuffing, but to catch the juice of the chicken while flavouring the meat. Slice your vegetables and distribute them evenly in the roasting dish around the chicken, stuffing 5-10 pieces of sliced onion into the body cavity of the chicken.

With the basting brush, paint the surface of the chicken with the pomegranate slurry. This will act as a honey glaze, trapping flavour and moisture inside the skin. Pour the white wine over and around the chicken, to provide a basting medium, and scatter the remaining pomegranate seeds around the top and sides of the chicken. This recipe is self-basting, and will not require tending.

Set your oven to 400 degrees and place the chicken inside, cooking 20-25 minutes per pound of chicken. (Depending on the efficiency of your oven, and other such variables.) I usually find that the chicken is done (with a three pound bird) in a little over an hour. The skin should be dark brown and crispy, and the meat amazingly tender, due to wine and pomegranate juices. The seeds inside the bird will be baked soft and taste slightly savoury, while the seeds that stewed with the wine and vegetables will be bloated and exploding with chicken flavour.

Serves three to five, depending on appetites and size of bird. I recommend serving with a sparkling apple or cranberry juice and sweet French bread.

Happy now?