Category: Chicken

Fesenjan~Fesenjoon (Persian chicken stew)

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Once you experience the delight of this savory sweet and sour flavor combination, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Where pomegranate and walnut trees grow in abundance, you will see Persians lining up to have their favorite stew …still today! ( Note: Mamma Persia’s recipe uses plums instead of cane sugar or other subtitute sugars for sweetness !!!)

This is not a Tuesday night after work stew. Its for Saturday or Sunday afternoon when you can savor the flavour (especially with the 2 hour cook time). You will not find this recipe online. I looked. It came from a Persian woman. HER FAMILY’S FACES LIGHT UP when they hear ..dinner is ‘Fesenjoon‘. Have an early dinner with family and friends! The No#1 popular meal today is Fesenjoon!!!

Fesenjan~Fesenjoon Stew Recipe

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients
▢ 3 ½ cups chopped walnuts (300 gm)
▢ 8 (2 pounds) bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed ( you may use ground meet (a mixture of beef & lamb) 300 gm.
▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
▢ 1 medium onion, finely diced
▢ 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
▢ Fine sea salt to taste
▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
▢ ½ teaspoon saffron threads, ground
▢ ¾ cup pomegranate molasses*, plus more as needed (one cup)
▢ Dried plums ( 8) plus more as needed [this is your sugar substitute]
▢ Pomegranate seeds, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
1.. Grind the Walnuts: Finely grind 3 ½ cups of walnuts in a food processor until they start to look like sand that clumps together. Do not over process. You don’t want to end up with walnut butter.
2.. Toast the Walnuts: Place dry non-stick skillet over medium heat. Lightly toast walnuts, stirring continuously for a few minutes until you can smell the aroma from the ground nuts, making sure not to burn them. Pour toasted ground walnuts into a bowl and set aside until ready to use.
3.. Cook Onions: Take a large stockpot or Dutch oven with a lid and set over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When olive oil glistens, add 1 finely diced onion. Cook onions until they start to caramelize and turn golden brown. Then add 1 teaspoon turmeric (to taste) and stir into onion mixture.
4.. Cook Chicken Thighs: Add chicken thighs and sear for a few minutes on each side. Pour in 3 cups water and add 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low to allow stew to simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove chicken and set aside.
5.. Add the Ground Walnuts: Pour ground walnuts into the simmering cooking liquid and stir. Place the lid back on the pot and simmer the walnut mixture for 1 hour. Stir occasionally throughout to make sure walnuts don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. After the cooking time the walnut sauce should have thickened, darkened in color until its deeply golden like tahini or honey and there will be a layer of walnut oil on top.
6.. Bloom Saffron, add Pomegranate Molasses: In a small bowl add 1 tablespoon of water. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder add the ½ teaspoon of saffron threads and grind. You should end up with about ¼ teaspoon ground saffron. Add the ¼ teaspoon of ground saffron to the 1 tablespoon of water. Into the pot with the walnut mixture, add ¾ cup of pomegranate molasses and bloomed saffron. Stir to combine.
7.. Add Chicken, Simmer and Season: Add chicken back into stew. Add plums here. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the meat is falling off the bone. The stew will be a rich dark brown and the oil from the walnuts will form a layer on the stew. Stir, season and taste. Adjust sweetness, sourness and seasoning to taste.
8.. Serve the Fesenjan: Ladle the fesenjan into a serving dish and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds to garnish. Serve with rice, Greek yogurt and a side salad.
*Directions for Pomegranate Molasses
1. Fill a saucepan with the juice and bring it to a low boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid will stay at a low boil, and let the juice cook down until you have a scant cup of thick, syrupy liquid. This will take about an hour, and it will thicken up more if you cook longer.

*What’s in Pomegranate Molasses?

Despite the name, pomegranate molasses does not contain any added sugar, and is made by naturally reducing pomegranate juice down to a thick syrup. That’s it! No other ingredients! Nice and healthy! Some people add sugar…don’t be fooled!

Wild ducks roamed in abundance. In ancient Persia, ducks and pomegranates were symbols were a perfect pairing. Makes sense when you look at this gorgeous stew! Persian princes ate this dish regularly. Those jeweled pomegranate seeds play a vital role in numerous Iranian dishes. The most popular and enticing dish for many Persians (and me) is fesenjan!

“Joanna’s Vegan Corner”

The classic Iranian sweet-sour sauce works as well with veg as it does with poultry. Instead of chicken use: * optional -mint leaves garnish

* 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 4cm chunks
*1 large floury potato, peeled and cut into 4cm chunks
* ½ celeriac, cut into 4cm chunks
* 400g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved *fresh mint leaves (optional)

A Meal Fit For A King and Persian Princes!

Thai Basil Stir Fry #For Lovers💘

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A chef romanced his girlfriend with this delicious stir fry; Romance with Jason Rosso; see “4 Senses” TV show S1.E4 [watch the video] My favorite stir fry came directly from a food cart owner in the orient. “When I’m in the ‘Dog house’ out comes the Thai Basil Stir fry” ..and all is well again!”

Food For Romance

Rice Noodles is the best compliment to this Thai Basil Stir Fry. You will not find this recipe anywhere else on the Internet, except on the cooking show 4 Senses” TV show S1.E4 . YUM! 💗

Would you like to stir in more romance?

ASK THE EXPERT

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Couple conflicts may have built up the kind of frustration that a box of chocolates can’t eliminate. In order to stir in generous amounts of romance, we need to remedy the source of frustration with positive change. No couple is immune to conflict. Release your inner peace-maker. read more…

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‘Romantic’ Thai Basil Stir Fry 💗

Chop, Sauté and Serve!

Thai Basil Stir Fry #For Lovers

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 yellow pepper
  • 1/2 red onion (+ 1 scallion optional)
  • 2-3 oz of stock
  • 1 oz. white wine
  • 1 egg
  • 1 oz. (2 tbsp) sesame oil
  • 1 can of coconut milk – combined with 2 oz soy sauce, 2 oz fish sauce, 1 tbsp. chilli flakes
  • 1 thumb ginger diced (about 2 inches long)
  • 1 lime – sliced into quarters
  • 1 chicken breast (cubed)
  • 10 shrimp – de-veined, de-shelled – leave shell on the tip of the shrimp
  • Medium – Wide rice noodles (cooked) – enough for 2 people
  • 8-10 fresh basil leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Crack an egg into the hot oil and scramble it for 20 seconds
  2. Add cubed chicken –mix until color starts to change
  3. Add julienne sliced carrots, pepper & red onion
  4. Add diced ginger
  5. Add 1 oz white wine (to steam)
  6. Add 1 oz of stock ( add other 2 oz. later, if dish is too dry)
  7. Add coconut sauce mixture (see ingredient list)
  8. Bring to a boil and mix to ensure chicken is done.
  9. Add cooked rice noodles –mix well for 2 minutes.
  10. Add shrimp –cook lightly until done.
  11. Add chopped basil (and chopped scallion) as your topping -yum!

The immersion of flavors begins with sesame oil, and ends with a finale of fresh basil and lime!

DISH, FLAVORTOWN! , BASIL, SESAME OIL, MAKES THIS DISH FOR LOVERS !!!

VARIATIONS

This dish was added to the menu at Milestones in Ontario, Canada by cupid’s Chef Jason Rosso. They added a drizzle of peanut sauce. All you need is add 2-3 tablespoons unsalted unsweetened creamy peanut butter to 1/3 of the coconut milk mixture and pour on top. Hot jalapino peppers sliced in rings is another addition that gives heat, or, 1 hotter Serrano chili, seeded and sliced. SUBSTITUTION: The recipe calls for chili flakes. They are not common in all regions. I used red pepper flakes. You can use chili powder if you wish, or a combination of both.

Chicken Marbella

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CHICKEN STORY -Juicy!  Chicken Marbella recipe was voted the fan favourite dish of the 25th anniversary edition of the Silver Palate Cookbook. Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins get top billing for popularizing this chicken dish. The  real inspiration was from  the tajines of Morocco and from the cuisines of southern Spain. It also has a similarity to the classic French dish “lapin aux pruneaux“.  It was never discovered in  Marbella but in New York city.  However, the flavour influences were from those areas.   S.S.F. has given this dish a new healthy spin. This recipe is S-O-O-O delicious. It is a great dish for entertaining and can be served hot for dinner or even cold for an outdoor picnic. It will be a smash hit every time. Three bay leaves helps makes this a stunning dish famous for its sweet, tangy, briny, garlicky flavor. Cutting back on the brown sugar maintains  the right balance of flavors.

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Chicken Marbella Recipe

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 1 hour
  • Marinating time: 3 hours to overnight
  • Yield: Serves 5-6

Although the original recipe calls for 4 small chickens to be quartered, you could easily do this recipe with 5 pounds of chicken pieces, thighs and breasts. Bone-in pieces would be more flavourful.

This recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 chickens, 2 1/2 lbs each, quartered, bone-in, skin-on
  • Garlic cloves, 5 minced
  • 4 Tbsp dried oregano
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup pitted prunes
  • 1/4 cup or 8 large pitted Spanish green olives, cut in half
  • 1/4 cup capers with a bit of juice
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar or preferably a brown sugar substitute
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

METHOD

Marinating Chicken

1 Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, sugar substitute, wine and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely with the marinade. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, several hours or overnight. (You can also optionally freeze at this point.)

2 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chicken in a large baking pan, top with marinade. Arrange chicken in a single layer in the pan and spoon marinade over it along with all the other ingredients: prunes, olives, capers, etc.

Final Touches

3 Bake until done: Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Chicken is done when a sharp knife inserted into the thigh pieces, at their thickest point, run with clear yellow juices (not pink).

4 If the sauce is watery, remove the chicken and reduce the sauce  to make it thicker and more flavourful.

5 Serve with pan juices. With a slotted spoon, move the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Pour some of the pan juices over the chicken and sprinkle generously with parsley. Serve remaining juices in a gravy boat.

6. If serving cold, let the Chicken Marbella cool to room temperature in the cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If the chicken has been covered and refrigerator and you are serving it outdoors or at a picnic site, allow it to come to room temperature before serving. By the time you arrive at the al fresco site or have your table set and the sides out, the temperature should be fine. Spoon some of the reserved juices over the chicken.

Chicken Marebella -Plated For A Starry Night

DRIED PLUMS OR PRUNES YOU’VE BEEN IGNORING: Whether you have 1 prune or 10 prunes a day, you not only improve muscles, bones, digestion, you improve your eyesight. Vitamin A and K are included in this super food. Bone density is improved more with prunes than any other fruit. Some doctors claim after 3 months reverse osteoporosis occurs when adding [100 grams = 10 prunes = 240 cal]  prunes to your daily diet.  It is also a deterrent for arthritis.  You can adds prunes to your smoothies, trail mix or simply snack on a prune if you are looking for a sweet treat!

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving size: ¼ of recipe Calories: 402 Fat: 25 Saturated fat: 3 Unsaturated fat: 15 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 29 Sugar: 13 Sodium: 829 Fiber: 4 Protein: 10 Cholesterol: 25

SUPER BOWL Super Snacks! Super Tasty!

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MEXICAN SHREDDED CHICKEN
This is a perfect snack while watching  SUPER BOWL LIVE on  Sunday.
I used the spice mix featured in my HOLIDAY GIFT Spice Jars  that Is used in this Mexican shredded chicken recipe from Always Hungry? ..by renowned Harvard endocrinologist Dr. David Ludwig.  See the full story on Ambition Nutrition.  Dr. Ludwig returned to Toronto where his wife Chef Dawn demonstrated some of the wonderful recipes from his book .  The Mexican chicken dish was a big hit! I have already made it four times because it is so fast and ‘very’ easy to make! Bonus: kids love it!
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INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 3/4 pounds)
  • spice mix:
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin (grind you own in a mortar and pestle)
  • 1/2 teaspoon powdered red chili i.e. Ancho, chile de arbol or New Mexican
  • Dash of Cayenne pepper ~ or ~ to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt (use Kosher or sea salt )
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

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INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Mix the spices together in a plastic bag. Add the olive oil and combine. Add the chicken and evenly coat. You can refrigerate this overnight.
  2.  Film the frying pan with 1/16″ oil and set over moderately high heat.  When very hot but not  smoking place the chicken in the pan in one layer without crowding.
  3.  Cover; cook turning regularly especially in the beginning, until the oil and juices from the chicken begin to make a sauce. Add water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, to keep the mixture from burning or sticking. Cook until the chicken is cooked throughout, 15 to 20 minutes. Using two forks, shred the chicken in the pan, pulling along the grain to create thin strands. Shredding the chicken disperses more flavour.
  4.  Continue to heat the shredded chicken, stirring frequently, until the liquid and spices have been absorbed and thicken, another 3-5 minutes.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Total time: 25 to 30 minutes
Makes 6 servings (about 3 cups)
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for longer storage.

A VARIETY OF SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Chicken is so tender, juicy and versatile. You can serve it in a myriad of ways.
(1) A filling for tacos
(2) Casseroles, Mexican lasagna
(3) Tortilla or quesadillas (topped with guacamole or sour cream)
(4) Mexican Shredded chicken on pita bread
(5) Chicken salad with tortilla chips, avocado and red peppers
(6) Pizza

shredded-chicken-three

HAT2 FOOD TIP:  After removing the cooked chicken from my pan, I added cream (or  use water)  to the hot pan along with pink peppercorns and started swirling the pan to loosen all the tasty bits in the fry pan.  I poured the cooled mixture  into a glass mason jar.  After a day in the fridge,  I stored the sauce in the freezer.  If you use chicken thighs with the bone in then toss the bones into a pot of water  with leftover vegetables like carrot tops or the core of a cauliflower (save it all ) for a healthy, home-made chicken stock.

 

didyouknowDID YOU KNOW?
WHAT GIVES MEAT ITS COLOUR ? The reddish colour of dark meat comes from the  myoglobin, a hemoprotein (an oxygen-carrying protein) The more myoglobin, the darker the meat and the richer the nutrients. Myoglobin provides muscles with the oxygen they need during exercise or movement. The flightless chicken use their ‘myoglobin’ legs to get around pumping those muscles into a red ‘myogloben’ frenzy.  I bet some of you didn’t know that.

100 g (3.5 ounce) of skinless chicken thigh = 7 g of fat.
100 g (3.5 ounce) of skinless chicken breast = 3.6 g of fat.
100 g (3.5 ounce) of chicken wings = 8 g of fat. A raw chicken wing weighs approximated 3 ounces, or 89 grams

DARK MEAT IS RICHER IN NUTRIENTS THAN WHITE MEAT: CHICKEN THIGHS contain protein, niacin, phosphorous,  Vitamin A, K, D, B6, B12, folic acid, pantothenic acid,  selenium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc (protects immune system) and iron. Niacin helps to build and maintain healthy skin, and aids in the digestion and absorption of food. Vitamin B6 is needed for protein metabolism and amino acid synthesis. Keep in mind that  the darker the meat the more nutrition in the meat.