a Persian delight

On the first Friday of every month, our local "village" has a big party in which all of the merchants stay open late. There is often live music, free food, famous people to meet, and a general good time. One of our favorite stores to hit on First Friday is Indigo Traders. They are a wonderful shop full of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern fares, soaps, etc. And above all they have the best spread of food by far! This dish isn't one that they've served before, but it came highly recommended by folks at the store.



Khoresht-E-Fesenjan (Chicken in Pomegranate Sauce)
Serves 4-6

2 large onions, chopped or sliced
5 tablespoon butter
1 large fryer chicken or 5 whole chicken breasts
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
4-5 tablespoon pomegranate syrup (or cranberry juice concentrate/pomegranate molasses)
2 1/2 cups finely ground walnuts
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2-3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon saffron (or turmeric)
1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Sauté the onions in 2 tablespoon of the butter until golden brown. Remove from the pan. Add 3 more tablespoon of butter and sauté the chicken pieces until light brown. Add the bouillon and sautéed onions. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Bone the chicken.

Prepare the sauce by stirring the water into the ground walnuts. Stir in the pomegranate syrup and sugar, and simmer gently over a low heat for 10-15 minutes. Combine the cooked, boned chicken and most of its drippings with the walnut sauce; add the seasonings and the lemon juice; cover and simmer gently for another hour. Adjust the seasonings by adding a little sugar if too sour, or more pomegranate syrup if too sweet. The chicken pieces should be coated with a rich, dark, sweet-sour sauce; there should be plenty of thick sauce. Serve with rice.