"Studio Granada Architects" Pomegranate Chicken

After making this dish I learned that the "pomegranate" is derived from the Latin  pomum ("apple") and granatus ("seeded") and that the city of Granada may have been named after this fruit. So I chose to relate this dish to a beautiful sustainable home in Iceland by Studio Granada Architects. http://studiogranda.is/ Complete with passive solar design, geothermal heating and a lovely green roof, this home uses sustainable design while blending in with the surrounding beautiful landscape.

Ingredients:

•  a few tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 lbs. of chicken beasts cut into cubes
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 2 beets, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 half cup of walnuts, pulsed in a blender
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup of grenadine
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 1 cup of basmati rice
• seeds from 1 pomegranate

for the cucumber yogurt

• 2 cups of Greek yogurt
• 1/2 a cucumber peeled and shredded
• a bit of lemon juice
• salt and pepper

How to make it,

1. Brown the chicken in a bit of olive oil over high heat, then remove from the pan and set aside.
2. In a large saute pan, saute the chopped onions in a bit of olive oil, then add the beets, garlic, walnuts, cinnamon and cayenne. stir for a few minutes
3. Add the grenadine and stock and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and cover and let it cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the chicken  and half the pomegranate seeds and simmer stirring now and then for a half hour or so, be sure to taste the sauce to see if it needs more salt and pepper.
5. For the basmati rice, boil 1 1/2 cups of water then simmer and add 1 cup of rice, simmer for 12-15 minutes.
6. For the yogurt add the shredded cucumber to the yogurt and season with salt and pepper.
7. When I plated this dish i filled a cup with the rice then flipped it over, then poured the chicken stew mixture on top, garnishing with the other half of pomegranate seeds and a bit of mint. Then put the yogurt on the side, enjoy!