Persian Chicken Wpomegranate And Walnuts 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.

PERSIAN CHICKEN OR DUCK IN POMEGRANATE WALNUT SAUCE (FESENJAN)

Steps:

• Sprinkle meat with lime juice and allow to marinate for 1-4 hours.
• Over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot heat an 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) of the butter or oil until shimmering.
• Add the chicken/duck pieces a few at a time and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.
• Add onions (and eggplant if using - see notes in description) and sauté in remaining butter or oil until translucent.
• Stir in ground walnuts and saute for 1/2 a minute.
• Add stock or water and browned chicken/duck pieces. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes.
• Stir in the pomegranate juice, sugar, salt and pepper.
• Taste and adjust seasoning. Sauce should have a balanced sweet-sour flavor. See notes to adjust.
• Simmer another 15-20 minutes until the chicken/duck is tender, sauce is somewhat thickened and the walnuts begin to give off their oil. Serve with plain white rice.

KHORESHT FESENJAN - PERSIAN POMEGRANATE AND WALNUT STEW

Steps:

• Toast the walnuts, but make sure they don't burn! Then, cool them on a baking sheet.
• Add the walnuts to a food processor and grind them into a fine texture.
• In a large pot, saute the onion until translucent over medium heat.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add to onion and cook a few minutes.
• Turn chicken pieces after a few minutes.
• Add bay leaves and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 30 minutes.
• Place another pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Toast it lightly.
• Add 2 cups of water and mix well until lumps disappear.
• Add ground walnuts to the flour-water and stir until water and walnuts are thoroughly mixed. Turn heat to low.
• Make sure you watch your walnuts. As the mixture thickens, it can easily burn.
• Once you see a layer of oil forming on top and bubbling, add pomegranate concentrate and mix well. Season with salt.
• If you find the stew to be too tart, add sugar (teaspoons at a time) until desired taste.
• Add chicken pieces, making sure each piece is submerged in the stew. Cook a few minutes longer so the flavors incorporate and chicken warms through.
• Serve over basmati rice.

PERSIAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Wash 4 half chicken breasts (with bones and skin) and put them in a good-sized pot. Add celery rib, thyme, parsley sprigs, bay leaf, cracked peppercorns, and juniper berries.
• Barely cover the breasts with cold water, cover the pot, and bring to a gentle simmer (the surface of the water shakes and only a few bubbles break). Hold it there for 20 minutes; turn off the heat; let the breasts rest in the hot water for 10 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a strainer. Let it rest until cool enough to handle and then cut or pull the meat into bite-sized pieces. Use the skin, bones, and broth to make stock for some other dish.
• Grind six or so handfuls of walnuts fine in a food processor to produce three cups. You want to end up with about three cups.
• Heat 5T unsalted butter in a large, heavy saucepan, and add onions, chopped fine. Cook onions until they are golden, 8 minutes or so. Add ground walnuts and stir constantly (very important) for about five minutes. They will stick if you don't stir.
• Add the lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, sugar, pomegranate juice, and two cups water. Cover pot and let mixture simmer for up to 40 minutes.
• Five minutes before you're ready to serve, add the chicken. Keep the heat low so it doesn't toughen up and cook it only until everything is heated through. Turn off the heat and let it rest if you must. It will stay hot for quite a while.

PERSIAN CHICKEN W/POMEGRANATE AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Heat 1 Tbl. oil in a large frying pan and saute chicken until golden brown.
• Add half the onion and fry til softened, then add water.
• Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes.
• In another fry pan, heat remaining oil and fry the rest of the onion for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add the chopped walnuts and fry for 2-3 more minutes, stirring frequently so the walnuts don't burn.
• Stir in pomegranate juice, tomato paste, lemon juice and sugar. Let simmer for 5 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chicken, ensuring all pieces are coated.
• Cover again and simmer for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is done and the oil from the nuts has risen to the surface.
• Serve at once with rice or a savory couscous.