Pomegranate Salsa

Bold statement…. I think I quite possibly could have made the best lunch ever today.

A few weeks ago I was thumbing through a Good Housekeeping magazine that my Mom had given me and the May 2012 “YourGoodHouse” supplement fell out of it. The front page showed that it included  an article “Mexican Cooking Made Simple” – I immediately thumbed to it and there was a feature with Food Network chef Marcela Valladolid from the show – Mexican Made Easy. The very first recipe for Pomegranate, Basil & Queso Fresca Salsa caught my eye. Every time I went to the store I tried to remember the ingredients, but finally decided to just type them into my iPhone for a future shopping trip.

The Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Pine Nuts
1 Cup Pomegranate Seeds (From 1 Large Pomegranate)  – I used 1 Trader Joe’s clamshell package
2 Tablespoons Thinly Sliced Fresh Basil
2 Tablespoons Crumbled Queso Fresco – I used 3 tablespoons
1 Teaspoon Olive Oil –  I used 2 teaspoons
1/4 Teaspoon Salt – I used ground sea salt
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Pepper – I used 1/4 teaspoon

Directions:

1. Toast pine nuts in dry skillet over medium heat for 4 minutes until golden.
2. Transfer to plate to cool.
3. In small bowl, mix pomegranate seeds, basil, queso fresco, and cooled pine nuts.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix again until well combined.

I had to get a photo of me toasting money… ha! ha! – pine nuts are ridiculously expensive due to the labor intensive work involved in extracting them from the pine cones. I got mine from the bulk bin at Sprouts. I’m pretty sure Trader Joe’s sells a package for around $8.00 – but I only needed 1/4 cup. Make sure you store any leftovers in the fridge, because due to the high fat content, they go rancid rather quickly. They are good for about 3 months in your fridge.

Cooling and toasted to perfection.

I think I should let you know that I ended up eating at least 3 spoonfuls right out of the ramekin before making my tacos.

Yep… grilled chicken tacos were on the menu. I created a lemon juice marinade for my chicken breast last night (lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil salt and ground pepper) and then grilled them today. I used La Tortilla Factory Handmade Style White Corn Tortillas.

The combination was incredible! The recipe suggested using the salsa as a fish topping or in a carne asada taco – which I think would also work really well.

Dan gave them a thumbs up! I can’t wait to make these at my next dinner party. Super easy and they look and taste amazing. The combination of the tart pomegranate and lemon, teamed with the creamy cheese and punch of flavor from the basil… add in the crunch from the toasted pine nuts… YES! – go make these right now!

It sure feels good to be back in the kitchen making wonderful food, but I forgot how many dishes are used when prepping recipes and taking photos for the blog. No worries, the fun factor is still pretty high and that’s what dishwashers are for.

What is your favorite kind of salsa? Think you will give this one a try?