A little while ago, I was introduced to pomegranate molasses; a syrupy reduction of pomegranate juice, it’s used a lot in Lebanese, Turkish and Persian food. It’s tricky to find but is beginning to pop up in supermarkets. There’s a great shop on Falcon Road, SW11 that sells it (along with spices, bumper packs of Turkish delight, fresh tamarind and plenty of other unusual things). I knew I liked the distinctive tangy and sweet flavour when I first tried it and started experimenting. I find it a really a handy thing to have in the cupboard as, on it’s own, it makes a really good marinade for meat at barbeque time; an interesting alternative to sweet n’ sour with pork ribs or chicken thighs. When HB and I went to Moro in Islington, they used it in a slow cooked lamb dish with lots of spices which was amazing – something I will definitely try! http://www.moro.co.uk
For my friend Millie J’s birthday, I made recipe below and with some tabbouleh and a green salad, it seemed to go down a treat.
CHICKEN BREASTS WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES AND LEMON
FOR 10
10 x Chicken supremes with the skin on
Juice of 2 lemons
300ml chicken stock
5 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 glasses of white wine
Salt and pepper
TO SERVE
Picked seeds of 1 pomegranate
Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
WHAT TO DO
- Heat a griddle or frying pan until smoking hot
- In batches, fry the chicken, skin side only, in the pan until crispy then remove to an oven proof dish
- Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the chicken, cover with cling film and marinade in the fridge for an hour or even better, overnight
- Preheat the oven to 180C and remove the chicken from the fridge; allow the meat to reach room temperature
- Bake the chicken in the marinade covered in foil for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the meat is cooked
- It looks really pretty if you serve the chicken piled up on a large warmed plate, with the sauce poured over, garnished with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley
Milly Bag 