Inspiration comes from all around us at any given moment. You just have to watch for it. I happen to love to talk about food and in the course of a recent conversation, an idea for a new recipe popped into my head. That’s how it rolled when I was talking with my friend Donna about the vinaigrette I was going to make with her blood oranges and Meyer lemons.
As I was listing the ingredients for the salad I was going to pair with the Blood Orange Vinaigrette and she asked me if pomegranate arils would be good in the salad. They would be great in the salad! I had to laugh when she said, “I have some in the freezer if you ‘d like them for the salad.” Donna had harvested the pomegranates earlier, done all the hard work of removing the arils or seeds from the pith that surrounds them and placed them in freezer bags. All I had to do was defrost them and eat these beautiful little jewels! Did I get the good end of that deal or what?!
The aril is simply the seed pod inside a pomegranate. It is truly one of nature’s most unique types of fruit. The clear, ruby-colored fruit surrounds a tiny, crisp seed, and the whole aril is edible. Here are some tricks for opening a pomegranate quickly, without making a big mess:
- Fill your kitchen sink with water.
- Open your pomegranate by striking the hull with a knife tip, then cracking it apart with your hands.
- Slice the pomegranate into quarters, right through the skin, with a sharp knife.
- Place the pieces in the water, then pull the pith out and pull the seeds from the pith. The arils will yield quite readily.
- To make things even easier, the seeds will sink to the bottom of the water and the pith will float to the top. The water helps you perform the separation, and also help keep your hands clean.
- Collect the arils on a sheet of paper towel to absorb excess moisture, being careful not to squeeze them.
- Your arils are now ready to eat or toss into a salad!
There were so many components of the salad and dressing that came right from the Wagner’s land. Coupled with the generosity of the gift of blood oranges, Meyer lemons, and now pomegranates, I knew the name for the salad had to be a nod to the Wagner’s themselves! The freshness of the citrus, tartness of the goat cheese and the lusciousness of the beets, crowned with the pomegranates make for a stunningly pleasing salad. Thus the Wagner Winter Salad was born! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Wagner Winter Salad
In a large salad bowl combine the butter lettuce, radicchio, broccoli and kale slaw.
Quarter the beets in bite size pieces and add to the greens.
Cut the blood orange into supremes. First slice the ends of of the orange.
Then slice the peel off of the orange down to the fruit removing the peel and pith.
Run your knife between the membranes on each side to release the blood orange segments.
Crumble the goat cheese into the salad and add the pistachio nuts.
Toss with some of the Blood Orange Vinaigrette to coat all of the ingredients.
Add the pomegranate arils and gently toss to combine, making sure not the crush the fruit.
- 1 bag Butter Lettuce and Radicchio
- 1 bag Broccoli and Kale Slaw
- 8 ounces Roasted beets, quartered
- 2 Blood Oranges, supremed in segments
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- 1/2 cup pistachio nuts
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- Blood Orange Vinaigrette
- In a large salad bowl combine the butter lettuce, radicchio, broccoli and kale slaw.
- Quarter the beets in bite size pieces and add to the greens.
- Cut the blood orange into supremes. First slice the ends of of the orange.
- Then slice the peel off of the orange down to the fruit removing the peel and pith.
- Run your knife between the membranes on each side to release the blood orange segments.
- Crumble the goat cheese into the salad and add the pistachio nuts.
- Toss with some of the Blood Orange Vinaigrette to coat all of the ingredients.
- Add the pomegranate arils and gently toss to combine, making sure not the crush the fruit.
