Reza at 8:55am on Sep. 8, 2007

Hi David, thank you very much ... great to regularly meet you here.

>>> can't wait to see what happens once you get going on the CREATE tools

For now, check the response to JacquelineC
Will try to post a couple of quick culinary notes.

By the way, is there a way to post a formatted comment with line breaks and all? Reply...

Reza at 9:04am on Sep. 8, 2007

Not sure if you mean pomegranate juice or pomegranate paste by syrup. But the majority of Persian recipes use pomegranate paste. Pomegranate juice is mostly used for salad dressing.

Since most of the Persian recipes using pomegranate paste are stews and take relatively long time, I think an appetizer would be great for a start:


If you have pomegranate juice, you need to make the pomegranate paste by heating the juice in a non-metal (preferably glass) saucepan so the acid does not corrode the metal surface and the paste does not get the metal taste. The heat should be on low. Once the juice becomes thick (runnier than tomato paste), let it cool. After a couple of hours of sitting at room temperature, the paste needs to be stored in a closed jar and refrigerated (the pomegranate paste can be stored in the refrigerator for a few months).

Now the appetizer can be made using pomegranate paste:

For the appetizer you need:

Green olive (pitted) – 1 kilogram
Pomegranate paste – 1 spoon
Finely chopped walnuts – 1 cup
One head of garlic (multiple cloves) finely chopped
Wild Marjoram – 1 to 2 spoons

These ingredients should be mixed; you can add more garlic, pomegranate paste and wild marjoram if you like.

After mixing, the olive appetizer should be refrigerated for a few days before using so the initial bitter taste goes away and it becomes aromatic.

You can have this appetizer with fried fish or hard alcohol. In Caspian Sea countries and Iran, it is usually served in small bowls with vodka or the Iranian variant, Aragh-e Sagi (dog’s sweat/doggy booze), on the side. You can also eat it with bread. Reply...