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.