reza@ihuxb.UUCP (Reza Taheri) (07/01/85)
I was asked to post the recipe for the Fesendjan stew, a Persian dish that I mentioned on the net a while back. My wife learned the recipe from a cookbook (Middle Eastern Cooking by Time-Life) and has changed it slightly to make it easier. The original recipe calls for duck but chicken is just as good (actually I remember my mother's substituting meat balls for poultry sometimes). It also calls for pomegranate sauce, which we don't use. Before I posted this, I decided to try it myself to see how it would work for a novice. It turned out better than my wife's! with the reason being that I stuck to the recipe. I made the dish for three people, i.e. used 3/4 of everything the recipe calls for. Three points to remember: 1) don't overcook the stew (especially if you are not cooking for 4), it makes the walnuts a little bit bitter; 2) if it tastes a little bland, try adding some more salt/lemon juice/sugar but be very careful; and 3) try to transfer as little oil as you can to the pot. The walnuts produce a lot of oil as is. To serve 4 1/4 cup olive oil 4 cups water 2 medium-sized onions, peeled and 2 teaspoons salt cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon turmeric A large chicken (4-5 lb.) cut 3 and 1/2 cups shelled walnuts (about into quarters and trimmed of fat 1 pound), pulverized (please buy it 1/4 cup sugar pulverized, don't try to be a hero 1/3 cup lemon juice by spending 4 hours working on a mill) In a heavy 12- to 14- inch skillet, heat the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the onions and turmeric and, stirring frequently, cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions are browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer them to a heavy (the heavier the better) 5- to 6- quart stock pot and set the skillet aside. Add the walnuts, water, salt, and a few grindings of pepper to the onions in the pot and stir until thoroughly blended. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, back in the ranch (oops! sorry, wrong newsgroup). Meanwhile, return the skillet to the stove, heat it until a light haze forms above it and add the chicken to the oil remaining in the pan, adding more oil if necessary. Brown the chicken slightly, turning it with tongs or a spoon and regulating the heat so that it colors evenly on all sides without burning. You might want to drain the chicken before adding it to the rest of the stew. Transfer the chicken to the simmering walnut mixture, turning the pieces about with a spoon to coat them evenly. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is almost tender and shows little resistance when pierced with the point of small sharp knife. With a large spoon, skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the walnut sauce. Combine the sugar and the lemon juice. Add them to the sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes longer and taste for seasoning. This dish is traditionally accompanied with rice. H. Reza Taheri ...!ihnp4!ihuxb!reza (312)-979-7473