Roast Chicken With Pomegranate Glaze And Fresh Mint Food

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. In a large stove to oven pan, heat the olive oil and brown the chicken on all sides. Put it in the oven and roast until the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Tent with foil to keep warm. Put the pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the chicken stock and scrape up brown bits while bringing it to a boil. Whisk in the pomegranate molasses and thyme leaves and cook until desired thickness is reached, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Quarter the chicken and arrange it on a serving platter. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

POMEGRANATE-GLAZED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Bring pomegranate juice and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over high, and cook, whisking occasionally, until reduced by half, about 16 minutes. Whisk together 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to pomegranate mixture. Boil, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; whisk in mustard and butter until smooth.
• Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium-high. Season chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Brush 1 tablespoon oil on pan. Cook chicken until browned, about 6 minutes. Turn and cook until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°F, about 6 minutes, turning if necessary to prevent burning. Remove from pan; cover to keep warm.
• Place quinoa, pistachios, pomegranate arils, chopped mint, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl; stir until combined. Divide quinoa mixture and chicken among 4 plates. Spoon 2 tablespoons pomegranate sauce over each serving; garnish with mint leaves.

ROAST TURKEY WITH POMEGRANATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients and reserved neck, heart, and gizzard in saucepan. Simmer over medium heat. Simmer until giblet broth is reduced to 3 3/4 cups, about 1 hour. Strain; discard solids. Chill 3/4 cup broth for Bread Dressing with Dried Apricots, Pistachios, and Mint .
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Whisk orange juice and next 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend for glaze. Place turkey on rack in heavy large roasting pan. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast, thighs, and legs to loosen skin. Using pastry brush or hand, apply thin coat of pomegranate glaze over meat under skin. Stuff main cavity with lemon, quartered onion, and mint. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely. Brush turkey with some of remaining glaze.
• Roast turkey 20 minutes. Pour 1 cup giblet broth into pan; brush turkey with glaze. Roast 20 minutes; brush with glaze. Roast 20 minutes. Add 1 cup broth to pan, brush with glaze, and cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast 20 minutes. Brush with glaze and reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, brushing with glaze every 20 minutes, about 1 hour 10 minutes longer, about 2 1/2 hours total.
• Transfer turkey to platter. Tent loosely with foil. Let stand 30 minutes (internal temperature will increase 5 to 10 degrees).
• Meanwhile, tilt roasting pan and spoon fat from surface of juices. Add 1 cup giblet broth to pan. Place pan over 2 burners. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, scraping up browned bits. Add chilled butter and simmer until gravy is smooth, whisking. Season with salt and pepper. Serve turkey with gravy.
• *A thick pomegranate syrup available at Middle Eastern markets, some supermarkets, and by mail from Adriana's Caravan (adrianascaravan.com). Do not use cane sugar molasses.

POMEGRANATE ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat pomegranate juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Set aside. Meanwhile, let the chicken come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Brush chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Tie legs and transfer to a large ovenproof skillet.
• Roast chicken, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and brush with reduced pomegranate juice; let stand 10 minutes. Deglaze skillet over medium heat with stock, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until reduced by half. Strain fat. Add thyme and pomegranate seeds. Serve with chicken.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE GLAZE AND FRESH MINT

Steps:

• Place rack on second level from bottom of oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove leaves from half the mint, reserving stems. Stack the leaves, roll and cut them across into thin strips, and set aside.
• Place the chicken, breast-side up, in a 12-by-8-by-1 1/2-inch heavy roasting pan. Sprinkle chicken cavity with some of the salt and pepper, and stuff it with garlic, 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, the reserved mint stems and the remaining half bunch of mint with leaves attached. Pour 1/4 cup pomegranate juice over chicken. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.
• Place chicken in oven, legs first. Roast for 50 minutes. Move chicken once after the first 10 minutes with wooden spatula to keep it from sticking. The chicken should not burn. (If chicken smells as if it is burning, reduce heat to 400 degrees, and open oven door for a minute to lower the temperature quickly. Continue roasting at lower temperature.)
• The chicken will be a beautiful mahogany brown. Tilt chicken over pan to drain juices, and then remove chicken to a platter.
• Tilt roasting pan, and spoon out fat, leaving any juices. Place pan over medium-high heat. Pour in chicken stock and remaining 1/4 cup pomegranate juice. Bring liquid to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in remaining mint leaves. Lower heat, and simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add any juices that have collected on the platter. Simmer for 30 seconds.
• Pour about half the pan juices over the bird, taking care that the platter does not overflow. Top with a few remaining seeds. Combine the rest of the juices into a sauce boat with remaining seeds, and serve with chicken.

POMEGRANATE GLAZED LAMB LOLLIPOPS WITH FETA TZATZIKI

Steps:

• Whisk the pomegranate juice and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add the sugar, honey and mustard and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until thickened to the consistency of barbecue sauce, 6 to 8 minutes. Season to taste. Let cool for 30 minutes. The glaze can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• Place the lamb chops in a large zipper-top bag. Pour half of the glaze into the bag and let the lamb marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Reserve the remaining glaze to coat the lamb chops on the grill.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and liberally oil the grates.
• Take the chops out of the bag and place them on a paper towel-lined tray or plate to wipe off any excess marinade to ensure a nice crust. Season the chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the chops on the grill until charred in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, baste liberally with the glaze and grill for another 3 or 4 minutes or until the internal temperature hits 135 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
• Baste the chops with the glaze again, then remove them from the grill. Coat one side in the chopped pistachios for an added crunch. Serve with a nice schmear of the feta tzatziki and garnish with some fresh mint.
• Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater and place in a fine-mesh strainer or piece of cheesecloth fitted over a bowl. Salt the cucumber and let sit for 10 minutes. Then squeeze out any excess moisture. Put the strained cucumber into a bowl. Add the yogurt, feta, lemon juice, mint, honey and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

KHORESH MORGH NARDOONI (POMEGRANATE CHICKEN STEW)

Steps:

• Bring 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a small saucepan, kettle or using the microwave, then let stand for 2 minutes to allow the temperature to drop slightly while you grind the saffron. Using a mortar and pestle (or small bowl with the handle of a wooden spoon), grind the saffron with a small pinch of sugar to a fine powder (about 1/4 teaspoon) and add the hot water. Gently stir, cover and let steep until ready to use.
• Season the chicken legs generously with salt (about 3 1/2 teaspoons). In a large skillet with a lid, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium-high. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken legs, skin side down. Cook until the chicken is golden, 5 to 8 minutes; we're not looking to brown the chicken skin here, just to get a nice golden color. Flip and cook the other side until golden, 5 to 8 minutes. You may have to do this in batches. Transfer the chicken to a sheet pan or large plate.
• Leave behind about 1/4 cup of the rendered fat in the pan and discard the rest. Add half of the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the onion with a little salt, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and the black pepper, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Transfer the chicken legs along with any juices back to the pan skin side down. Swipe the chicken through the turmeric-stained oil and flip so the skin side is up. Add 1 1/2 cups water, scraping up any bits stuck on the bottom. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and gently simmer the chicken for 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the pomegranate sauce: In a small pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium. Add the remaining diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the onion with a little salt, add remaining 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the tomato paste, and cook just to take off the raw taste and deepen its color, but taking care not to burn it, about 1 minute. Add the pomegranate molasses, give it a quick stir just to incorporate (pomegranate molasses burns quickly), then stir in 1 1/4 cups pomegranate seeds and save the rest for garnish. Sprinkle with a little salt, and remove from the heat.
• Add the pomegranate sauce and the saffron water to the chicken, gently stir, and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the sauce reduces by about half and the chicken is tender, about 25 minutes. Every once in a while, spoon a little sauce over the chicken. If the sauce reduces too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low or low. (You want enough sauce to spoon over rice and the chicken.) Taste for seasoning, and add a little sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the pomegranate molasses is too sour or bitter. If your sauce is too sweet, balance it with a little lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Garnish with reserved pomegranate seeds and mint leaves, and serve over rice with a side of fresh herbs, radishes and scallions.