Fesenjoon Food

KHORESH-E FESENJOON (PERSIAN CHICKEN STEW WITH POMEGRANATE AND WALNUTS)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts out on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown inside, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Remove chicken skin and discard or save for another use. In a large bowl, season the chicken with turmeric, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
• Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add oil and carefully lay chicken thighs into the pot in a single layer. It is crucial to leave space between the pieces to allow steam to escape, so brown chicken in batches if necessary. Cook until browned on both sides, flipping halfway through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Add onion to pot with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes.
• In a food processor, grind the cooled walnuts as finely as possible without turning them into a paste. (Alternatively, you can chop the walnuts as finely as possible by hand.) Add 2 cups pomegranate juice and 1/4 cup molasses to the walnuts and continue blending until you have a very smooth paste.
• Add the walnut paste and remaining pomegranate juice to the pot. Season with salt and partly cover with a lid. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 2 hours. If the sauce begins to stick, stir in 1/4 cup water. The sauce will thicken and change color as it cooks, turning a deep, dark brown, similar to mole poblano.
• Add the saffron, and taste the sauce. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and pomegranate molasses as needed. The sauce should be delightfully sweet and sour, so add up to 2 teaspoons sugar, if needed, if it's too tart.
• Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until chicken is falling off the bone. Keep stirring regularly - the sauce should be thick, but not so thick that it sticks to the bottom of the pot, so add a splash of water as needed to prevent burning. Use a large spoon to skim away any walnut oil that has pooled on top of the stew. Taste and adjust seasoning, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds. Serve hot, with Persian rice, mast-o khiar and salad-e Shirazi if you like.

FESENJAN (IRANIAN SPECIAL OCCASION DISH)

Steps:

• Heat butter or oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.
• Add onions and sauté until wilted and translucent.
• Add garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg and sauté, stirring, for another 1-2 minutes.
• Stir in walnuts, pomegranate syrup, stock, sugar, salt, pepper and saffron.
• Adjust sugar and salt to taste.
• Bring to a low boil and simmer 1/2 hour.
• Add chicken and simmer on low heat another 30-60 minutes.
• Halfway through the cooking time, add the lime juice to taste.
• The sauce will thicken and darken during this cooking time, and the oil will begin to render out of the walnuts.
• Add water or stock if necessary to prevent the sauce from thickening too much and scorching.
• Serve with plain white rice.
• NOTES Fesenjan is special occasion food in Iran.
• It is traditionally made with duck or pheasant in the north of the country along the Caspian sea.
• It is a thick, rich, sweet-sour dish that improves in flavor the next day.
• Pomegranate syrup is available in most Middle Eastern and health food stores.
• If it is unavailable, you can use an equal amount of frozen, concentrated cranberry juice.
• The flavor is roughly the same.
• You can use a whole bone-in chicken if you like.
• Cut it into 8 serving pieces and remove most of the skin.
• The bones will give the dish a richer flavor.

FESENJAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper, and sauté in olive oil until lightly golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Spread walnuts on a baking sheet, and bake until toasted, about 5 minutes. Once cool to the touch, rub walnut pieces between your palms to shed excess skin. Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped but not pasty. Transfer to a Dutch oven, and add onion and 2 cups water. Place over medium-low heat and simmer, partly covered, stirring it occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add 2 cups pomegranate molasses, sautéed chicken, squash, cinnamon, saffron mixture and 1 cup chicken broth or water.
• Adjust flavor with sugar, salt and pomegranate molasses, so it is tangy but also a bit sweet. Simmer gently, covered, until the sauce is a dark walnut color with a layer of oil on the surface, 35 to 40 minutes. If the pan looks dry, add additional broth or water as needed. Adjust flavors again, and stir so the walnut oil is well mixed.
• Bring the mixture to another gentle boil with the lid ajar, then continue to simmer on low heat until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 20 minutes. Make a final taste test, and adjust flavors to your liking.
• To serve, stir so that the walnut oil is evenly absorbed. Serve hot with Persian steamed white rice.

FESENJOON

Steps:

• In a food processor grind the walnuts until they are extremely fine and have a consistency almost like peanut butter. You can tell the nuts are ready when the crumbs start to stick together like dough.
• Place the ground walnuts in a large casserole dish. Add 1 litre of cold water. Bring this sauce to the boil on the stovetop and cook on a high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce to a low heat and leave it to simmer with the lid slightly ajar to let off some the steam. This is the basis of your sauce. Let it simmer on a low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure the walnuts don't stick to the bottom of the dish.
• After the walnut sauce has been cooking for 1 hour, add 200ml of cold water and two ice cubes to the pot. The cold water is important as it encourages the walnuts to release their natural oils. Give the sauce good stir then stick the lid back on and leave it to simmer for another hour.
• After 2 hours the sauce should have thickened and darkened in colour. Now add the pomegranate molasses, tomato concentrate, cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well. Add the chicken pieces. Place the lid on the pot and continue to cook over a low heat for another hour.
• After about 50 minutes the chicken will be cooked and the sauce should be a rice, glossy, chocolate colour. Taste the sauce for seasoning. If you prefer it a bit sweeter, add more sugar or, if you want a more sour taste, add more pomegranate molasses. Cook for a final 10 minutes with the lid off so that the sauce thickens around the meat.
• Serve with steamed rice and a sprinkle a handful of fresh pomegranate seeds on top to garnish.

FESENJAN

Steps:

• Heat a skillet over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown lightly on both sides, working in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions and cook until lightly browned. Add the beets, walnuts, garlic, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pomegranate syrup and stock and bring to a boil. Cook at a low boil, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Add the chicken and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. The stew should be bubbling the whole time. Turn the chicken pieces over every 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and add salt, if necessary. The beets should be fork-tender.
• To serve, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. For chicken legs, separate the thigh from the drumstick. For breasts, slice each one into 2 or 3 pieces. Put a small mound of rice on each plate with a few pieces of chicken on top. Spoon the stew over the chicken. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and several cilantro leaves on top. Serve the cucumber yogurt on the side.

FESENJāN

Steps:

• Blitz the walnuts in a food processor until fine - you want to get rid of as many chunks as you can. Slowly add 900ml water until you have a watery paste.
• Tip the mix into a large saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hr, stirring often until the walnut oil rises to the surface.
• Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onions until golden, about 5 mins. Add the turmeric and stir for 30 seconds, then add the chicken and season. Cook for 5 mins, stirring until browned all over. Cover and cook for 10 mins more until the juices from the chicken run clear.
• Stir the pomegranate molasses into the walnut paste, then taste - add the sugar if you prefer it sweeter. Mix in the spices, if you like, and the spiced chicken and warm over a medium heat for 5 mins until heated through. Scatter with pomegranate seeds and parsley. Serve with rice.