Pkhali (Vegetable Pâté with Walnut Paste)

Combine spinach and 1/2 cup water in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium, turning spinach occasionally with tongs, until wilted, 9 to 10 minutes. Drain spinach in a colander set over a bowl, and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Working in small batches, squeeze spinach with your hands to remove excess liquid until spinach is barely moist. Reserve 1 tablespoon liquid. Finely chop spinach.

Stir together walnut paste, vinegar, cilantro, parsley, and ground marigold until blended. If sauce is very thick, stir in reserved liquid.

Stir together chopped spinach and walnut sauce until thoroughly blended. Season with salt and pepper. Shape mixture into 6 (1 3/4-ounce) balls, and decorate each with about 1/2 teaspoon pomegranate arils. Serve chilled or at room temperature.