Salad with pomegranate. How to cook the best dish?

The Carthaginian apple ... Under such an intriguing name is known a pomegranate, the seedlings of which the Phoenicians, who founded Carthage in 825, were brought from the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. He is also mentioned in the Bible, being an image of the unity of our universe. And for many peoples, garnet is a symbol of wealth, love, fertility, matrimonial fidelity and indissolubility of marriage.

For example, in ancient manuscripts there is a mention that in the house of the newlyweds during the honeymoon there should have been grenades. In the East, for example, garnet is called simply the king of the fruit (because of the shape of the sepals, reminiscent of the royal crown). And the great Avicenna mentioned 150 times in his treatises on various occasions. In the ancient legend it is said that there are as many seeds in the grenade as there are 365 days in the year. Of course, this is not so - they can be a thousand or more.

Of all the fruits, garnet is considered one of the most useful and enjoys well-deserved love for its amazing taste and many useful properties. The unique chemical composition allows this fruit to be used in medicine and cosmetology. It is useful in everything: juice, flesh, bones, skins, flowers of the tree and even parts of its roots.

Varieties of pomegranate are huge, each of them differs from other fruit size, color of grains (range from pink to bright red) and variety of taste - sour, sweet and sour, sweet.

This magnificent fruit is used not only in fresh form. A pomegranate is a real find for cooks. It should immediately be noted that garnet is low-calorie. From it prepare sweets, drinks, sauces, wines, pastille and ice cream, add to meat dishes and pastries. And even marinate in the pomegranate juice fresh meat!

Due to the uncomplicated nature of the preparation, which takes up a minimum of time, a salad with a pomegranate became very popular - its grains give the dish a special, unique and pleasant sourness, juicy sweetness and astringency. And other ingredients that make up the salad vary depending on the cook's imagination.

But, to make the dish succeed, you need to choose the garnet correctly. It is desirable that it be large and firm. Such a detail is important: in a ripe pomegranate throughout its area, the crust is slightly dried and, as it were, tightens the bulging grain. If soft patches are noticeable on the crust, it is better to abandon such a fruit.

Salad with pomegranate:

Cooked chicken meat (200 grams) is placed in a deep transparent bowl. Then lay the layers of potatoes, carrots and beets, pre-cooked in salt water and grated on a large grater. Between carrots and beets is a little chopped nuts. Each layer is covered with mayonnaise, on top is left to lay out pomegranate seeds. 3-5 hours impregnation, and a salad with pomegranate can be served on the table and enjoy.

Unusual salad with pomegranate and mushrooms (for 4 servings):

Put the cooked and cut mushrooms (300 grams) on the leaves of the watercress in a bowl. Then, as an ornament, grains of pomegranate from one small fruit and pieces of one sweet and sour orange. Add the sauce from mixed in a blender or bowl of balsamic vinegar (1-2 tablespoons, or lemon juice - 2-3 tablespoons), olive or sunflower oil (5-6 spoons). Salad with pomegranate and mushrooms is ready!

Very light salads with pomegranate and croutons:

Mix chicken meat, 3 eggs and 1 cucumber (cut, of course), half a pomegranate seeds, greens. Season with mayonnaise and on top of the slices of two tomatoes. But lettuce with pomegranate and crackers should be prepared literally before serving, so that the crunches are not soaked. The only nuance: to prepare a salad with a pomegranate for children, try to buy a so-called "pitted" pomegranate - this is a fruit with very soft bones. Your efforts will be appreciated by pleasantly surprised guests, especially if they try for the first time such dishes as salads with pomegranate and crackers.