December2
When I was a kid growing up in West Texas, we used to pick pomegranates off of trees, throw them to the ground to break them open, and eat the delicious seeds inside.
I know… raised by wolves, right?
Seriously, pomegranates are my favorite winter fruit. They are bright and slightly acidic and add a punch to everything (oh, I get it, kind of like me!). Seriously. Seriously.
The downside to pomegranates is that they stain EVERYTHING. If you look at them, they’ll stain your eyeballs. That’s just their nature… trying to protect themselves from being thrown to the ground, broken open and eaten, I guess!
But I digress…
Here’s how to open a pomegranate. Your beautifully crisp white J. Crew shirt will never again be soiled by a drop of ruby-red color. Someday, you’ll thank me.
What’s the secret? A big bowl of water! Click here to find out how to open a pomegranate.
July18
Celia asks: In one of your recipes you said that if I’m going to use canned tomatoes, I should buy Italian San Marzano tomatoes. What’s so special about them?
In my recipe for Easy Homemade Tomato Sauce, I suggested that you buy canned Italian San Marzano tomatoes because they deliver a tangy, bright flavor… far superior to many other canned tomatoes. But what are San Marzano tomatoes?
San Marzano tomatoes are basically plum tomatoes with a lush, elegant flesh; they are grown in Italy’s southern Sarno River Valley. The tomatoes stay on the vine longer than many other varieties, which gives them a sweeter, less acidic taste.
They also have thinner skins with fewer seeds, so you have a firm, but supple bite, even after cooking them for a long time, like in my Homemade Tomato Sauce.
If you want to make sure the canned tomatoes you are buying are REAL San Marzanos, look for the Italian D.O.P. (or Denominazione di Origine Protetta) designation on the can. This means that the Italian tomato famers followed specific government agricultural rules. You can (sort of) equate these rules to the USDA regulations regarding products that can and cannot use the USDA Organic Seal.
Italian San Marzano tomatoes do have their detractors, so you’ll need to conduct your own taste test. If you can’t find real Italian San Marzano tomatoes, try whole Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes.
When I was a kid growing up in West Texas, we used to pick pomegranates off of trees, throw them to the ground to break them open, and eat the delicious seeds inside.
