Remember Persephone?

She’s the toga clad founder of Mt Olympus’ first trailer park.

Girl voted ‘Most likely to___’. Had the highest hem on her toga. Teetered on the lowest rung of the Pantheon of Greek Gods.

Ran off with her uncle, Hades, thus turning her poor momma into her de-facto sister-in-law. Her daddy (and uncle!), Zeus, sentenced her to a month with Hades for every seed of pomegranate that she had eaten.

She single handedly launched the fruit into infamy.

Context: the pomegranate is to Persephone what the blue Gap dress was to Monica. Swap Mom, Demeter, for Linda Tripp, Zeus for Ken Starr and, ladies and gentlemen, you have yourselves a Class #1 scandal!

Yes, it’s Pomegranite season, and in honour of the Toga Tart, I implore (not impeach) you to try my new favourite salad.

As Persephone herself would declare, ‘Kiss my Fattoush!’

Of course, Fattoush is not a Greek dish. I fell for it like a high school crush one Saturday afternoon as I was cruising around Little Armenia in Hollywood. Snappy, tart and crunchy; tumbled goodness topped with fried bread. It makes your mouth water and pucker all at the same time.

For the uninitiated, it is a Middle Eastern bread salad. Diced cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. Lemon and vinegar and oil. Sumac aplenty. Some herbs, some fried strips of pita bread.

For some reason it soars above the sum of its parts. Try it:

Chop: 2-3 good sized tomatoes (the sort you’d imagine Sophia Loren picking, not just half-blushed Romas). I chop them into cubes, about ¼ inch / ½ cm.

Peel: 1 enviable cucumber. I peel it haphazardly, slice it in 4 lengthways and run the knife along the seeds to scoop them out. You can leave the skin on and the seeds in if you like. Chop it into 1/2 inch chunks.

Wash: 3-4 scallions/ spring onions and slice them a good way up so that you get the white and the green parts in the salad.

Tear: about 3 cups worth of spinach or a good green lettuce (choice is yours).

Squeeze: lemons like crazy until you have about 1/3 of a cup of lemon juice. This should be about 2 good lemons. Add an equal measure of the best olive oil that you can find. I managed to pick up a Persian Lime infused oil in San Francisco; do your best. Add 2 good teaspoons of Sumac to the lemon and oil. Then add 1 teaspoon of dried mint, and lastly, I put in some Maresh Peppers (Chili flakes will do). Taste this. Want more tang? Add some more lemon juice or a splash of vinegar. Too sharp for you? A splash more oil will tone it down.

Mix: everything in a salad bowl, toss through 2 tablespoons (each) of chopped fresh parsley and mint. Season with Maldon salt and freshly cracked pepper

Heat: ¼ cup of olive oil (doesn’t have to be the good stuff) and whilst it is getting hot, criss-cross a sharp blade over 2-3 slices of pita bread to slice it into diamonds.

Fry: the pita bread diamonds until they are crisp. be sure to fry both sides. Add a little more oil if they start to burn.

Toss: the fried Pita onto the salad.

Finish it all off by tossing in the seeds from one gorgeous pomegranate.

Serve with Sticky Pomegranate Prawns.

A million years ago, I was taken to a beachside dinner in Singapore and fed Black Pepper Crab. The whole crab was put before me and it was covered in the most delectable, spicy black mess you've ever seen. I had to get through that peppery quagmire for every morsel of crab. It covered my fingers; heck, I had the stuff up to my elbows!

But it was very clever because, as good as the sauce was, it didn't suffocate the subtle flavour or texture of the crab. The 2 sensations only came together as I broke the shell and fed myself. The crab flesh had cooked in its unadulterated glory, and the black sauce was lurking on my fingers like some leery predator. The fall from grace, the tainting of the flesh, all happening upon the tip of my tongue.

Try it:

Take: a pound or two of Colossal Prawns and pat them dry.

Smother: them in about 1/2 cup of Pomegranate Molasses mixed with 1 tablespoon of Sumac and 1 teaspoon of Maresh Pepper flakes.

Marinate: for 20 minutes or so.

Heat: 1/4 cup of olive oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot, toss the prawns into the oil and fry them for 3 minutes each side until the shells turn orange and the molasses marinade caramelises.

Serve: the prawns on top or alongside of the Fattoush.

Don't forget a finger bowl of warm water with some lemon juice in it, float some lemon zest and rose petals in the bowl.

Light candles.

Wear a toga.

Invite your uncle over.

(just kidding!)

Sumac is a spice made from the berries of a mediterranean bush. It has a sour taste and is used instead of lemon, vinegar or tamarind.

I went on a jolly hunt all over Los Angeles trying to find it.

Eventually managed to find some in a chi-chi 'cook's paradise'. Prizing my precious jar, I went through an ordeal known as extortion getting past the check out.

This little baby was expensive!

Of course, my next outing in Little Armenia, I stopped at a local supermarket for some groceries and found SACKS of the stuff for a fraction of the price.

So before you all rush on-line or to the nearest over- priced providore to find the more esoteric ingredients like Sumac and Pomegranate Molasses, try heading to an area of town where there is a strong middle eastern / mediterranean community and go shopping there.

Try a pitcher of these:

Mix equal parts pomegranate juice and icy vodka, add a splash of grand marnier and a couple of drops of orange blossom water. shake with ice.

Run a wedge of lemon around the rim of a cocktail glass and dip the glass into a dish of sugar to coat the rim. pour the shaken cocktail into the glass and float some rose petals on top!

Thanksgiving is over, we just have Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years to go.

I'm going to send out a 'I know what you did last thanksgiving' newsletter next week. Having been so caught up with different jobs all over the country for the past few months, I have struggled to get these newsletters out, but now I am on a roll and my kitchen is humming with goodies that you might like to try for your holiday feasts.

And, I've heard rumours that Seamus Lopez might be dropping by for a return visit!

till then, let the love flow!

mannix

mannix@thelovebite.com