koresh fesenjan

A persian stew of ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses

I first tasted this classic Persian stew of ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses in a https://amzn.to/42LMuFg restaurant, and I was blown away. I kept eating long after I was full. It’s sweet, tart, and earthy, and wonderful with basmati rice. The finely ground walnuts become part of the sauce, so even people who usually don’t like them enjoy this dish.  Koresh Fesenjan is most often made with chicken—either on the bone or in chunks, but is sometimes done with duck. I much prefer making it with chicken thighs rather than breasts, because stewing can cause the white meat to become dry-tasting; the dark meat is much more forgiving for a longer, slow cook. I also like making it with Cornish hens, cut into delicate little parts. To make it vegetarian, substitute cubed and roasted butternut squash. I’ve tried it with other vegetables, but the butternut won, hands down, for texture and taste.

Make this once and I think you’ll be hooked.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shelled walnuts

• ¼ cup olive oil + a little more

• 1 large, or 2 smaller, yellow onions, diced small

• 1/2teaspoon turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 3 pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs, each cut in half, or 3 Cornish Hens cut into breasts (with wings), legs, and thighs, or1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed.

• Advieh (Persian spice mix—you can buy it or make your own. See recipe below)

• 2 cups stock, chicken or mild vegetable

• 1 cup pomegranate molasses

• sugar as needed

• fresh pomegranate arils and roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Method:

• Heat oven to 375°.

• Spread walnuts in a single layer on a baking pan and toast them in the oven for about 5 minutes or so. This will make the dish more flavorful. Just keep an eye on them because they can go from perfect to burned pretty quickly. Set them aside to cool. If you’re making the dish with the squash, leave the oven on.

• When the walnuts are cool enough to handle, toss them into a food processor and process them until they’re very finely ground. Stop when they’re on the verge of become a paste. Set them aside for now.

• Whether you’re making this with chicken thighs, Cornish hens, or butternut squash, marinate the chunks in just enough olive oil to moisten them, and lightly season them with salt and a generous sprinkle of advieh. Let them sit around and make friends with the seasonings while you cook the onions.

  • For the squash—line a baking sheet with parchment paper (this will keep them from sticking and make clean-up a whole lot easier. Spread the seasoned squash evenly on the pan and roast for about 15 minutes. You want the pieces to be tender but not falling apart, and showing a little color around the cut edges. When they’re done, set them aside.

  • For the chicken or Cornish Hens—Quickly brown the chicken pieces, skin side down, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. You may need to add a little more oil to the pan if the oil on the chicken isn’t enough to keep it from sticking. You don’t need it to cook all the way through, as it will continue to cook in the sauce. When they’re done, scoop them out of the pan and set them aside while you start the sauce. You can use the same skillet going forward; no need to wash it out.

• In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onions in the oil until they turn golden.

• Add all the spices, plus the salt and pepper, and stir them into the onions. Cook another minute for them to release their flavor.

• Add the walnuts and pomegranate molasses to the spiced onions and stir. Add about half the stock. If you’re making chicken, you can add it in now.

• Allow the mixture to simmer gently for about an hour, stirring often to make sure it doesn’t stick. Keep adding more stock as necessary for a thick but smooth sauce.

• While it’s cooking, taste the sauce. Different brands of pomegranate molasses have varying amounts of sugar, and everyone has their own preferred sweet/tart balance. Add sugar as needed, or, if it’s too sweet, add a squeeze of lemon. Feel free to add a little more pomegranate molasses if you want to. It’s not an exact science.

• If you’re making it with squash, add the roasted squash into the sauce about 5 minutes before you take it off the stove. If you overcook the squash it will fall apart.

• When your stew is done, serve it on a pretty platter with pomegranate arils and parsley scattered over the top. Steamed basmati rice, with a little saffron if you choose, is the usual accompaniment. Or, you can take it over the top and serve it with Persian Jeweled Rice.

Advieh

Every Iranian cook has their own version of this spice mix. I think this one is perfect!

Combine all in a small bowl:

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom

• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric

• 2 teaspoons dried rose petals, ground or chopped with a knife

• ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

• ¼ teaspoons ground cloves

• ¼ teaspoons ground ginger