Pomegranates have been featuring regularly in our meals at home recently and this week I read this about their possible anti-ageing properties, which was interesting and encouraging.  And the great Ottolenghi gives us these useful tips about them.  I love his books, Plenty and Plenty More, which my sons gave me for Christmas the year before last, but it is true that the recipes are often quite complicated with long lists of ingredients.  This is fine if you have time and the inclination but there are days when you have neither but still want to eat well.  This is where two other favourite Middle Eastern recipe books of mine come in: Persiana and my newest book, Honey & Co.  I have cooked quite a few things from the latter in the last few weeks and every single one has been a gem and just right for summer (such as it is) eating.

I commend one to you in particular which is so good I made it twice in a week.  It’s:

Pomegranate Molasses Chicken with Bulgar Wheat Salad

Ingredients

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets

(serves 4)

Marinade

• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 green chilli, sliced
• 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

• 200g bulgar wheat
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 200ml boiling water
• 50g shelled pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped (half reserved to sprinkle on top)
• 75g currants
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 50g fresh pomegranate seeds (1 tbsp reserved to sprinkle over the top)
• 1 small bunch mint, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunch flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

• Mix the marinade ingredients together and use to coat the chicken all over.  Cover and keep in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to marinate.  You can do this overnight.
• Preheat conventional oven to 200ºc/180ºc fan
• Place the bulgar wheat in a large serving bowl/dish with the salt and oil, pour over the boiling water and cover with cling film for 5 minutes
• Uncover and fluff up the bulgar using a fork
• Add all the remaining ingredients except those you have reserved to use as garnish, and stir well
• Place the chicken thighs on a large roasting tray lined with bake-o-glide and season with salt and pepper (non Aga users: fry on the hob for a few minutes each side and finish off in the oven)
• Roast near the top of the roasting oven for about 30 minutes, turning them over halfway through
• Serve the chicken on top of the salad and sprinkle with the reserved pistachios and pomegranate seeds