Cooking in and recipe: The sweet-seeded fruit evokes the sunshine of the Med - and it's good for you too, writes Hugo Arnold
When buying pomegranates, look for heavy, deeply coloured fruit: a hot summer will have concentrated the juices. This is why October is their prime month. Recipes feed four
BRAISED CHICKEN WITH POMEGRANATE JUICE
4 chicken legs, jointed into thighs and drumsticks
500g shallots
2 tbsp olive oil
500ml chicken stock
pinch cinnamon
pinch allspice
generous pinch saffron
250ml freshly squeezed pomegranate juice
150g pine nuts
dessertspoon butter
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
Gently colour the chicken and shallots in the olive oil. Pour off any excess fat, season with salt and pepper and add the chicken stock, cinnamon, allspice and half the saffron (this half adds colour, the later half flavour). Simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. Remove and keep warm. Reduce the cooking liquid by half and stir in the pomegranate juice.
Saute the pine nuts in the butter until golden brown. Stir the remaining saffron into the sauce and cook for one minute. Return the chicken to the reduced sauce, heat through, check seasoning and serve with couscous, the pine nuts and a scattering of pomegranate seeds.