Pomegranate Bracelet Salad

Pomegranate Bracelet Salad is a simple yet delicious and visually appealing layered salad originated in Russia. This version is with roasted turkey leftovers, beetroots, walnuts, and pomegranate arils.

Hello friends. Happy Old New Year! I am finally back with my first 2022 recipe.

But wait. You might be perplexed asking yourself what the heck is “Old New Year”?! Some of you, perhaps, suspected Ben had enjoyed the holidays way too long, that’s why he’s delusional and gives such weird greetings.

No worries, my friends. I am fine. While I’ve enjoyed my time off from blogging, there’s nothing wrong in the expression “Old New Year”. However, if you don’t live in some countries, mostly European, you probably never heard it.

Old New Year

The Old New Year or the Orthodox New Year is an informal traditional holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar. Old New Year is common in many countries including Russia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Ukraine. For instance, when Russia officially adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1918, the Russian Orthodox Church continued to use the Julian calendar. The New Year became a holiday that is celebrated by both calendars.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Old New Year falls on January 14 as per the Gregorian calendar. So let’s celebrate, shall we? :)

In Russia, with passing years, Old New Year has lost its significance as the holiday, but for many people it is still a nice tradition. When I was growing up, I really enjoyed “Old New Year” – as well as millions of other people did. For many families, it always symbolized the ending of the holiday season. Indeed, many people would keep their tree until at least January 14th. Isn’t it lovely to celebrate New Year twice: formally on January 1st and then on January 14th? Even when I was already the student, we would still have some little parties with friends.

Pomegranate Bracelet Salad

This Pomegranate Bracelet Salad was the first recipe I photographed this year. Originally I wanted to keep it until November because I have a tradition to share something from Russian cuisine around the holidays like this Mimosa Salad. But then I changed my plan. It’s Old New Year around the corner, so why wait?

There’s no much information on the origins of this recipe. Some Internet sources state that it’s been known since 1960s, but I am not sure about that. I had never heard of it until maybe 15 years ago. I think it became popular sometime in the 1990s – early 2000s.

It is possibly that the salad owes its name to a famous novel “The Garnet Bracelet” written by the Russian writer Alexander Kuprin. What’s the connection? “Garnet” and “Pomegranate” are the same word in Russian. Besides, garnet gemstones are so beautiful and resemble pomegranate arils.

Healthier Variation

There are many variations of this salad. The important layers are cooked chicken (I used roasted turkey breast), beets, and pomegranate arils. Most salads use also potatoes, carrots, and onions (either raw or lightly pickled). Some other layers include walnuts, cheese, eggs, and even prunes.

Because of the addition of mayo, it’s not the lightest salad. But I combined mayo with sour cream for a healthier version. Rather than that, I would call it quite light and healthy. I used only shredded turkey breasts, beets, pomegranate, and some walnuts for a crunch. Packed with protein, healthy fats, and fibre!

To assemble the salad, take a serving plate and arrange a removable ring from your springform. For the ingredients in this recipe, use about 8 inches ring. Place a glass in the middle. Spray lightly the glass with cooking oil, so the ingredients won’t stick. Layer your ingredients pressing them gently. You will need to refrigerate the salad for at least one hour (preferably longer), to make it sturdy and sliceable. Gently remove the glass and the ring, and enjoy the salad! If you don’t care for the presentation, you can simply combine everything in a bowl. Either way, it will be tasty!

I hope you like this Pomegranate Bracelet Salad, and you will try it soon. If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share you photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

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Pomegranate Bracelet Salad

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Salads, Winter SaladsCuisine: Russian

Servings

6-8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Chilling Time

1

hour (or longer)

Pomegranate Bracelet Salad is a simple yet delicious and visually appealing layered salad originated in Russia. This version features roasted turkey, beetroots, walnuts, and pomegranate arils. The cooking time does not include cooking the turkey and beets.

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

• about 400 gr. cooked turkey or chicken (I used roasted), shredded – about 3 and 1/2 cup

• 4 large medium beets, cooked (preferably roasted), peeled, and grated

• about 2/3 cup (70 gr.) walnuts, toasted and chopped

• about 1/3 cup light mayonnaise

• about 1/2 cup light sour-cream or plain yogurt

• a good pink of black pepper

• a pinch of salt, optional

• 1/4 tsp. fresh thyme, optional

• about 1/2 cup pomegranate arils

Directions

• In a small bowl combine the mayo and sour cream and season with pepper, salt (if using), and thyme (if using).
• In a separate bowl combine the grated beets with 1-2 tbsp. of the mayo sauce.
• In a separate bowl combine the turkey with the remaining Sause.
• Arrange a salad ring or a removable ring from your springform (I used ~ 8″ ring). Lightly spray a glass with cooking oil and arrange in the middle.
• Layer the turkey as the first layer, gently pressing with a spoon.
• Sprinkle with the walnuts.
• Arrange the beetroot as the next layer, pressing gently.
• Sprinkle with the pomegranate arils.
• Refrigerate for at least one hour or preferably longer. This makes salad sturdy. Enjoy!