How To Peel A Pomegranate

I took a cooking class last week at Jungle Jim's taught by David Warda, who created some of the vegetarian dishes at Slim's in Northside. In the class I learned to make parsnip and carrot soup with pesto toast triangles, three-cheese chili polenta (aka grits), vegetable frittata in filo and balsamic roasted root vegetables.

Probably the only thing I'll ever actually try to make is the parsnip and carrot soup. (It was hearty and sweet and one of simpler recipes.) But what I really took from the class was the randon question I asked David, "How to you peel a pomegranate?"

"The best way," he said, and then corrected himself, "The only way, is under water. Otherwise, it's a blood bath."

Indeed. Today I tried it under water for the first time and it's genius. Fill up a pot of water and split the pomegranate open under the water. As you push the seeds out, they'll fall to the bottom while most of the fibers will float to the top. Strain and eat.

All that, for just $45.