An ancient Greek myth, seeking to explain the changing of the seasons, tells the story of Persephone, kidnapped by Hades and taken to live in the underworld as his wife. When her mother, Demeter (goddess of the harvest), went into mourning, all the green things on Earth ceased to grow. Although Zeus commanded Hades to return Persephone, the ruler of the netherworld tricked her into eating four pomegranate seeds while she was still underground, thus condemning her to spend four months in the underworld every year.

Archaeological evidence of pomegranates dates back to between 4,000 and 3,000 B.C. in parts of the Middle East. In fact, some think the pomegranate — not the apple — was the forbidden fruit used to tempt Adam and Eve. It was certainly the fruit that lured a group of 16 docents at Santa Fe's Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts to undertake a yearlong journey to produce a cookbook featuring this fruit fatale.

The group was inspired to take on the project by La Granda: The Pomegranate in New Spain, a 2005 exhibition at the museum that displayed pomegranates as symbols used in fine art, decorative arts, textiles and furniture from New Mexico and around the world.

Some of the work displayed in that 2005 exhibit is reproduced in the cookbook. A piece of silk embroidery on linen fronts the Syrups, Molasses, Butters & Sauces chapter, for example; a 19th century South American incense burner with four large pomegranates on the handles opens the beverages section; and the pomegranate on the coat of arms of Catherine of Aragon, which symbolizes the triumph of Christianity over Islam in 1492, graces the Vegetables and Side Dishes chapter.

Recipes come from museum volunteers and staff, and chefs across the country referred to the authors by friends and family members. What's unusual — and admirable — about Cooking with Pomegranates is that every one of the 126 recipes was tested before it was included in the book.

Julia Gómez, a Spanish Market artist specializing in colcha embroidery and a docent at the museum, was part of the group producing the cookbook. A few of the women made some dishes for the reception accompanying the opening of La Granda in 2005, she said, and fell in love with both the art and the fruit — "and from then on, everything was pomegranate."

For more than a year, the group got together to test recipes. They would test main dishes in one session, desserts in another, Gómez said. "The only mistake we made was testing all the alcoholic beverages on the same day," she laughed. "We had a lot of fun that day."

Many of the recipes tested were rejected, Gómez said. "Some of the things I made early on were just not edible."

In addition to recipes, the small, soft-bound book offers advice on buying, storing and juicing pomegranates, roasting chiles and provides mail-order and Internet sources for hard-to-find ingredients. In the U.S., fresh pomegranates are available in markets primarily between September and January; fresh juice, molasses and syrups can be found in markets year round.

Home to 3,000 artifacts, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts is an outgrowth of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, which has been presenting Spanish Market since 1926. All profits from sales of the book will benefit the museum's educational programs, Gómez said, once the cost of printing has been recouped. The education program, headed by Patricia Price, who was a member of the cookbook committee, offers tours by docents, brings information about the history and tradition of Spanish colonial arts in New Mexico to classrooms — and school children to the museum — and offers grants to Spanish Market artists who want to teach classes or mentor young artists.

Cooking with Pomegranates is well-organized and cleanly written and presented, a gem among the many cookbooks written to raise funds for an organization.

The 149 page cookbook sells for $15 in the gift shop of the Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts, 750 Camino Lejo, on Museum Hill. A kit that includes the book and a bottle of pomegranate vinaigrette is also available at the shop for $20. (Museum members receive a 10 percent discount on all purchases). In winter, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; shoppers can access the shop without having to pay the museum's entry fee. For more information, call 982-2226.

RECIPES

Many pomegranate recipes call for pomegranate syrup or molasses. While both are now widely available in markets, they are also easy to make at home. Be sure to use pure pomegranate juice that contains no other juices, sugars or additives. If you want a sweeter syrup, add a little sugar to taste about halfway through the reduction process.

BASIC POMEGRANATE SYRUP

(Makes 2 cups)

4 cups pure pomegranate juice

Pour juice into a medium or large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about half an hour, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2 cups. It should be thick enough to coat a wooden spoon. Remove syrup from heat and cool. It will thicken a little as it cools. It can be stored in a tightly closed jar in the refrigerator for six months.

TURKISH WALNUT-LAMB

(Serves 4)

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter

1 pound boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon saffron or turmeric

1 teaspoon each, salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup beef or vegetable stock

1/2 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup pistachios, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons pomegranate syrup

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cooked rice pilaf, for serving

Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil or butter 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat, add the lamb chunks, turmeric or saffron, teaspoon of salt and pepper and cook until lamb browns on all sides. Add the stock, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

To make the sauce, start with a small saucepan, add enough water to cover the almonds and pistachios, bring to a boil and immediately turn off and drain. In a large pan, warm the pomegranate syrup and stir in the sugar. After the sugar is dissolved, add in the nuts, lamb, rosemary and ginger and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

Serve with rice pilaf.

This recipe from Al Lucero, owner with his wife, Laurie, of Maria's New Mexican Kitchen since 1985, is not included in either edition of his best-selling Great Margarita Book.

MARIA'S POMEGRANATE MARGARITA

(Makes 1 cocktail)

1 1/2 ounces Cuervo Gold tequila

3/4 ounce Triple Sec

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 ounces sweet & sour mix or simple syrup

1 ounce 100 percent pomegranate juice (or more to taste)

Add all ingredients to a 16-ounce shaker full of ice. Shake well and pour, ice and all, into a margarita glass.

(All recipes from Cooking with Pomegranates, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, 2008)