The Fruit of Labor

This is not what it looks like.



Last night I watched the season premiere of Dexter, Season 4. For those of you who do not follow, 'Dexter' (played by Michael C. Hall) is a blood spatter expert for the Miami Metro Police Department by day and a serial killer by night. He essentially figures out who committed murders though his blood spatter analysis and gets to them before the police even get a shot. He only kills people who kill innocent people...a serial killer with a code.

According to my knowledge of blood spatter analysts (which is almost completely based on television and movies), so much can be determined based on a single drop of blood.



It can help an investigator determine the height of the assailant, the direction in which he or she fled, the type of weapon...almost a story of the events leading to a murder. The blood speaks for the victim who no longer can.

In honor of my love for the show and my appetite for pomegranates, I extracted seeds from 5 of them while I watched. Unlike most fruit, the seeds of the pomegranate (also called "arils") are the part you eat. If you have ever tried to get the seeds out of a pomegranate, you understand why the juice is so expensive at the grocery store. It takes a long time and is a tedious task. However, once you manage to extract all the seeds, the payoff is not only bursting with flavor, it is loaded with all sorts of good-for-you things. This article tells of all sorts of benefits such as:

*rich in antioxidants
*keeps blood from clotting
*keeps bad cholesterol from oxidizing

Long-term consumption can result in:
*more oxygen reaching the heart
*combating erectile dysfunction
*preventing prostate cancer and tumor growth
*lower risk of breast cancer
*reduction in inflammation of joints (relieving effects of arthritis)



To extract seeds from a pomegranate:

Cut the fruit into quarters. The juice will spatter so be careful, and do not wear white.





Hold one quarter around the edges, and push firmly on the middle (from the outside in) to expose the seeds embedded in the white membrane.



Gently scrape out the seeds, being careful not to burst them.



Collect them in a bowl, and keep a wet cloth close by to wipe your hands.



Be sure to clean up after yourself really well because the juice is so messy it will make your kitchen resemble a crime scene.



I like to eat the seeds from a bowl with a spoon. There is a hard little pit in each aril. Some prefer to spit the center of the seeds out, but they are perfectly fine to eat (also it is much easier to just eat the whole thing).

A recipe for you...a pomegranate balsamic vinaigrette:

Darkly Dreaming Dexter's Dressing:

1/4 C pure pomegranate juice
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 C Balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp finely crushed pistachios

Mix it all up by shaking in a tightly sealed jar or whisking in a medium-sized bowl, and pour over a salad.