POM Wonderful 5-Course Dinner

The almighty pomegranate is native from Iran to the Himalayas and  has been cultivated throughout the Mediterranean region of Asia, Africa and Europe.  This mystical fruit with its healing properties and majestic apperance has been featured in Egyptian mythology and art, praised in the Old Testament of the Bible and referenced in the Babylonian Talmud*.   It has even gained distinction as a royal fruit in the literatures of Chaucer, Shakespeare and Homer*.   Pomegranate fruits contain maximum health benefits best known for its concentrated levels of antioxidants and its ability to combat LDL cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. 

My Mother’s Wonton Soup

Since my mother moved back to Shanghai a couple months back, I’ve found myself not only missing her (terribly) but reminiscing back to all the Chinese traditions that she’s instilled in me over all these years.  I almost feel less Chinese without her — no more ancient Chinese medicines, no more meditation practices, no one to speak Chinese to, no one yelling over my shoulder “AIYA JOY put that back, why you always buy buy buy??  SAVE MONEY!”   It feels weird to not have my mother completely accesible — I’ll pick up the phone to call her with a question only to realize she’s 13 hours ahead of me.

Lemongrass Roasted Marrow served with Parsley Salad and Snow Pea and Radish Salad

Many of you probably have never had marrow, it was my fiance’s first experience and he absolutely feel in love with it.  I found some fresh marrow bones at a local Middle Eastern market where they sold a lot of Halal meat, so they had various types of meats and cuts you usually do not find in your regular grocery stores.  You can also ask your grocer’s butcher counter if they keep any marrow bones in the back, not many people buy it (I DONT KNOW WHY) and it’s really cheap! Marrow is really rich in taste so it’s nice to spread it on bread and serve it with a refreshing salad.  I’ve chosen two in this case — one being a parsley based salad with a bright lemon flavor and a snow pea and radish salad that packs a lot of crunch!

Ingredients for Snow Pea and Radish Salad (From Williams-Sonoma Vegetable Cookbook):

• 1/2 lb snow peas
• 5 radishes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons olive or sesame oil
• 3 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves chopped
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

For Snow Pea and Radish Salad, boil a large pot of salted water over high heat.  Fill a large bowl with ice water, leave enough space for the snow peas.  Once the water boils, add the snow peas and cook for 1 1/2 minutes.  Drain the peas and immediately dump them into the ice water.  This process is called blanching, this helps stop the cooking process as well as retain bright green color of the snow peas.  Let stand for a minute or two then drain.

Cut the snow peas in half or at a diagonal into 1 inch pieces and place in a bowl.  Slice the radishes into thin strips then cut into matchsticks.  An easy way to do this is to cut one end of the radish and stabilize it on the cutting board, then the radish will not roll around while you are cutting.  This helps avoid cutting your fingers…no one likes blood in their food.  Mix the radishes with the snow peas.

For the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar and honey and slowly whisk in the oil.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper and adjust the seasonings to your taste.  Add the dressing to the radish and snowpea mixture and toss well to coat.  Add the mint and incorporate gently.  Serve immediately.

Ingredients for Parsley Salad:

• 1 bunch of parsley, finely minced
• 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
• 2 shallots, finely minced
• kosher salt and coarse black pepper to taste

For the Parsley salad, mix the parsley and shallots together.  Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well and serve.

Ingredients for Lemongrass Roasted Marrow:

• 12 veal marrow bones
• 3 stalks lemon grass

Preheat oven to 450F.

For the Lemon Grass Roasted Marrow, line a large roasting pan with parchment paper or foil.  Place the marrows large side down in the pan.  Chop the lemon grass into 6″ strips and place ontop and around the marrows so the oils from the lemon grass will be incoporated into the marrow.  Bake until marrow begins to separate from the bones, about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.

Because of the richness of marrow, I recommend serving it on toasted bread or if you want to indulge to excess you can eat it plain :).  You can either scoop the marrow with a small spoon or if the holes are too small use a chopstick (that is so asian of me I know ^_^).  It is creamy and delightful almost like butter, there really are no words to describe the delicate flavor of this sensational treat.  The acid of the Parsley salad really provides a bright contrast, helping to balance out the succulent flavors of the marrow and the crunchiness of the Snow Pea and Radish salad gives you an interesting combination of textures.