What to do with a Pomegranate? Make a Soup: Ash-e Anar

With all the rain we have had this winter, I have combed the 1000 Foods book to find every hearty, warm soup suggested.  Ash-e Anar is not a soup I have had before but it did seem like it might be delicious-combining some of my favorite foods:  meatballs, pomegranate seeds, yellow split peas and yogurt.  It is an Iranian soup which features pomegranate seeds. I have tried pomegranate in all most every possible combination from juice in Turkey, to salads to topping goat-cheese covered crostini.  FYI, pomegranates and Bulgarian yogurt (which I used for this soup) are themselves are another 1000 Foods.

This soup is a bit of a different use of pomegranate seeds as they are really central to this dish-less garnish and more core ingredient.  Niki and I whipped up a batch when Niki came to visit.  Want to give it a try? The recipe I decided to use came from The Spiced Life.  We both think this one is a keeper!