Turkish Chopped Salad with Arils by Chef Cindy Pawlcyn
Time to Table: 25 Minutes Prep
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients:POM Dressing:
Juice from 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate*, or 1 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice, or POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice Concentrate, reconstituted to the equivalent amount.**
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 shallots, peeled and minced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, or a blend of extra virgin and high quality vegetable oil
Turkish Chopped Salad with Arils:
3/4 cup arils from 1-2 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates or POM POMS fresh pomegranate arils
2 large vine ripe tomatoes, peeled
1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded
2 chiles, red or green (remove seeds for a milder salad)
1 sweet red bell pepper
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
3/4 cup halloumi cheese or feta cheese (optional)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
4 to 6 pita or flat breads
Preparation:
POM Dressing:
Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.* Put the pomegranate juice in a stainless steel saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. (This reduction will keep several weeks in the refrigerator in a clean, covered container.) Combine red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons of pomegranate reduction, shallots, kosher salt and pepper; whisk until the salt is dissolved. Slowly add the oil as you continue to whisk. If it separates, just re-whisk before dressing the greens. This can be made and refrigerated ahead of time.
Turkish Chopped Salad with Arils:
Score 1-2 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 3/4 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.) Finely dice the tomatoes, cucumber, chiles and bell pepper. Combine in a bowl with parsley and mint and dress with the POM dressing. Garnish the salad with the crumbled cheese and fresh pomegranate arils. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with warm pita or flat breads.
Notes:
* For 1 cup of juice, cut 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.
**8oz or 1 cup of juice = 3 tbsp POM concentrate plus 6.5 oz water
Conversion: 1 tablespoon of concentrate = 0.5 fl oz of concentrate To make pomegranate juice, mix 1 part concentrate with 4 parts water.
Nutritional Information:
Nutrients per Serving (6 oz. salad, 2 oz. dressing): 443 calories (245 calories from fat), 10g protein, 27g total fat (6g saturated), 41g carbohydrates, 6g dietary fiber, 11mg cholesterol, 12g total sugars, 0mcg vitamin A RE, 461mg sodium, 367mg potassium, 101mg vitamin C.
POM Dressing:
Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.* Put the pomegranate juice in a stainless steel saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. (This reduction will keep several weeks in the refrigerator in a clean, covered container.) Combine red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons of pomegranate reduction, shallots, kosher salt and pepper; whisk until the salt is dissolved. Slowly add the oil as you continue to whisk. If it separates, just re-whisk before dressing the greens. This can be made and refrigerated ahead of time.
Turkish Chopped Salad with Arils:
Score 1-2 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 3/4 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.) Finely dice the tomatoes, cucumber, chiles and bell pepper. Combine in a bowl with parsley and mint and dress with the POM dressing. Garnish the salad with the crumbled cheese and fresh pomegranate arils. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with warm pita or flat breads.
Notes:
* For 1 cup of juice, cut 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.
**8oz or 1 cup of juice = 3 tbsp POM concentrate plus 6.5 oz water
Conversion: 1 tablespoon of concentrate = 0.5 fl oz of concentrate To make pomegranate juice, mix 1 part concentrate with 4 parts water.
Nutritional Information:
Nutrients per Serving (6 oz. salad, 2 oz. dressing): 443 calories (245 calories from fat), 10g protein, 27g total fat (6g saturated), 41g carbohydrates, 6g dietary fiber, 11mg cholesterol, 12g total sugars, 0mcg vitamin A RE, 461mg sodium, 367mg potassium, 101mg vitamin C.
Chef Cindy Pawlcyn
Chef Cindy Pawlcyn
Chef and Founder, Mustards Grill and Go Fish
Napa, CA and St. Helena, CA
Napa, CA and St. Helena, CA
Cindy Pawlcyn, a pioneer in the development of wine country cuisine, is the owner of three of Napa Valley’s beloved restaurants: the legendary Mustards Grill, the eclectic Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen and her most recent creation, the West Coast seafood house Go Fish. Since Mustards opened in 1983, Pawlcyn has been involved in the creation of over a dozen new restaurants in the Bay Area including, Fog City Diner, Bix, Roti, Betelnut, Buckeye Roadhouse and Tra Vigne. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pawlcyn grew up in an accomplished culinary family where fresh, seasonal ingredients were an integral part of every meal and supper-time was always family-time. “My parents raised me to appreciate good cooking,” she fondly says of her mother and her father.
At 13, Pawlcyn was working at a local cooking school and equipment store and helping in her mother’s kitchen. She ran a catering business through high school, and went on to earn a degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She further augmented her formal training by taking courses at Le Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris.
Pawlcyn began her career in the kitchen of the Pump Room in Chicago. She went on to cook in various other esteemed restaurants in both the windy city and Minneapolis before moving to California in 1980 to take a job at McArthur Park. Her first experience in a Northern Californian kitchen, Pawlcyn gained valuable insights into the region’s unique food culture.
Pawlcyn entered Napa Valley’s burgeoning restaurant culture as the opening chef at Meadowood in St. Helena and from there joined Bruce LeFavour at his acclaimed Rose et LeFavour. Armed with extensive kitchen leadership and regional culinary expertise, she successfully launched Mustards Grill in 1983, her now landmark and legendary restaurant.
A pioneer in her field, Pawlcyn has a devoted local and national following and has been acknowledged by many top culinary organizations and magazines. An inductee of Who’s Who of Cooking in America, she has also been twice nominated for the James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef in California. She is the recipient of the Robert Mondavi Award for Culinary Excellence, in addition to the Fine Beverage and Food Federation’s Career Achievement Award, and she currently serves as an ambassador for the National Egg Board. She has authored three cookbooks: The James Beard Award winning Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook; Fog City Diner Cookbook; and her newest, Big Small Plates.
At 13, Pawlcyn was working at a local cooking school and equipment store and helping in her mother’s kitchen. She ran a catering business through high school, and went on to earn a degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She further augmented her formal training by taking courses at Le Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris.
Pawlcyn began her career in the kitchen of the Pump Room in Chicago. She went on to cook in various other esteemed restaurants in both the windy city and Minneapolis before moving to California in 1980 to take a job at McArthur Park. Her first experience in a Northern Californian kitchen, Pawlcyn gained valuable insights into the region’s unique food culture.
Pawlcyn entered Napa Valley’s burgeoning restaurant culture as the opening chef at Meadowood in St. Helena and from there joined Bruce LeFavour at his acclaimed Rose et LeFavour. Armed with extensive kitchen leadership and regional culinary expertise, she successfully launched Mustards Grill in 1983, her now landmark and legendary restaurant.
A pioneer in her field, Pawlcyn has a devoted local and national following and has been acknowledged by many top culinary organizations and magazines. An inductee of Who’s Who of Cooking in America, she has also been twice nominated for the James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef in California. She is the recipient of the Robert Mondavi Award for Culinary Excellence, in addition to the Fine Beverage and Food Federation’s Career Achievement Award, and she currently serves as an ambassador for the National Egg Board. She has authored three cookbooks: The James Beard Award winning Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook; Fog City Diner Cookbook; and her newest, Big Small Plates.
