Pomegranate Molasses : Needed for Levantine and Middle Eastern Cooking

[ecowper]

If you are cooking foods from the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean (the Levant), you will often find an ingredient called pomegranate molasses. Unless you are fortunate to live somewhere with a large Levantine and Middle Eastern influence, you are probably not going to find this in the store. That's okay, it's easy to make yourself. Here's how.

Ingredients

• 4 cups pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

• Put the ingredients in a saucepan over medium high heat
• Bring just to a simmer, then turn down heat until you are maintaining a low simmer
• Simmer like this until reduced to about 1 cup and forming a thin syrup
• Remove from heat and cool, then store in tupperware or jar in the fridge
• The molasses will stay good for 3-4 weeks in the fridge
• Use per recipes

[JoeSousa]

Somehow I ended up with 2 bottles of pomegranate molasses in my cupboard. Love that stuff on lamb. I have used it on some other stuff too but can't remember. Don't see why it wouldn't be delicious on a pork loin.

[ecowper]

Well damn, I would love to have two bottles already made!

[SheilaAnn]

ecowper you rock!

I read that entire book, chasing smoke, last night. So fun! Shared with my boss who just traveled to turkey. 💕💕💕

[SheilaAnn]

Now I want lamb chops

[ecowper]

That book is fabulous!

[Jim White]

Or you can buy all kinds of Middle Eastern ingredients online from Sadaf.com.

[fzxdoc]

For me, buying pomegranate molasses in a Middle Eastern store is that the "best by" date is often quite close to the date that I'll be purchasing it. For small shelf life windows, I'll put the bottle, even unopened, in the fridge to extend its shelf life a bit.

So this recipe will come in handy for when I reach for the pomegranate molasses on the pantry shelf or in the fridge, find it a year out of date, and start doing that "do I or don't I?" thing.

Thanks, Eric. In to Paprika it goes.

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

Oh, and for those who don't know about the fabulous lamb dish that Eric made using some pom molasses, look at his SUWUC post.

If you like it, you can get the meal's recipe (except for the saffron rice) here:

https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/recipe/tahini-bbq-lamb-chops

Kathryn

[ecowper]

and I just added the recipe for the saffron rice :-)

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, Eric, ecowper for completing my (hopefully) upcoming meal plan!

K.

[ecowper]

fzxdoc that meal was outstanding!