♥Pomegranate salad with Chicken and Almonds♥

This is my favourite winter salad!

I first experienced Pomegranates in California and this recipe was one that I found in my local US supermarket.
This salad is both colourful and tasty and has become a re-occurring family winter treat.

2 Pomegranates

½ cup golden raisins

1 pound cooked chicken breast, cut into 1” chunks

(I choose to fry the chicken in a bit of extra curry powder)

1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds

1 chopped apple

½ cup chopped or thinly sliced celery

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

¼ cup chopped green onions/spring onions

¼ to ½ teaspoon curry powder (optional)

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl combine 

the pomegranate seeds, raisins, chicken, almonds, apple,

celery, parsley, onion and curry powder.

In a small bowl combine

By whisking combine the olive oil with the balsamic vinegar.

Pour the vinegar/oil into the chicken mixture and mix well.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

(Refrigerate until serving)

Tasty curry chicken soup...with Port.

It's the cold season and here in Bayern we are truly enjoying the snowflakes and the fact that we soon will be off speeding down the alpine slopes in the alps.

And this is just the kind of soup that I could imagine enjoying after such a day on the slopes.

But it is unfortunately also the season for colds and husbands who bring home the common cold from the odd business-trips...so what better than to make chicken soup!

This was my first attempt and it was just SO delicious. Even the children where loving it.

1 Chicken, around 1 1/2 kg(3,33 lb)

2 Onions

2 sticks of celery

2 carrots

1 1/4 l (around 4 Cups) of water or chicken-stock

10 peppercorn

1 bay-leaf

15 g (0.53oz) butter

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp curry powder

1 dl (1/2 Cup) cooking cream

Grated nutmeg

2 tbsp Port wine 

Salt and pepper

Parsley

If you have a whole chicken then cut it into at least two halves.

Thereafter place the chicken pieces in your cooking pot along with the stock, onions (cut into quarters), celery and carrots(cut once lengthwise)

Add the peppercorn and bay-leaf and boil the chicken covered until tender for 40-45 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot and separate the meat from the skin and bones and cut the meat into smaller pieces.

Poor the soup through a sieve and keep the vegetables for later.

Melt the butter in the now empty pot. 
Add the curry powder and allow it to sweat for a short moment. 

Add the flour while stirring. 

Once the flour and curry-butter has melted together add the chicken-stock slowly while whisking. 

Allow the soup to boil for a few minutes.

Cut the boiled carrots and celery and add these and the chicken pieces to the soup.

Poor in the cream, port wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste...I also like a pinch of sugar to bring out the flavors in the end.

Serve the soup with a little dust of extra curry powder and chopped parsley...and some nice toasted bread(we had garlic-bread just to help against the cold)