Khoresht e Fesenjoon (Persian stew)
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs with skin on (can also substitute with chicken thighs)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups of walnuts
- 1 large onion
- 1 cup pomegranate molasses
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 2 cups of water
- 5 orange peels
Directions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven to medium - high heat.
- Add your duck legs and brown your duck legs on both sides - four to five minutes a side.
- Take duck legs out of the pot and put into a roasting pan with your cinnamon and turmeric.
- Add your orange peel to the roasting pan
- Put the roasting pan into a 350 degree oven and let the duck legs cook off.
- While the duck is cooking in the oven - dice your onion and add them to the same pot and begin to brown slowly (10-12 minutes) until golden brown and soft.
- Remove the onions and set aside.
- Take your four cups of walnuts and finely grind them in a food processor - but not into a paste.
- Then take your ground walnut and add to the same pot on medium heat to release the oils from the walnut - making sure to stir regularly.
- After five minutes of stirring the walnuts add your caramelised onion back into the pot.
- Stir the onion and walnut together for about five minutes.
- Take your tomato paste and add a bit of water to it and stir around to avoid any clumps and add the mixture into the same pot.
- Stir your onions, walnuts, and tomato paste together for two minutes and then add two cups of water and continue stirring.
- Stir the entire mixture regularly - making sure there are no clumps.
- Slowly begin stirring in your pomegranate molasses.
- Add two tablespoons of sugar and continue stirring.
- Cook this over low - medium heat for about an hour and a half.
- Keep an eye on the consistency of the sauce and add 1/2 cup pomegranate juice if needed - the sauce will thicken as it cooks but you don't want it to get too thick.
- After an hour and a half in the oven add your duck legs to the sauce and let them continue to simmer together - till the meat falls off the bone.
- Remember to adjust the seasoning of the sauce as you go - with salt, pomegranate molasses and sugar as needed. The sauce should be a beautifully balanced blend of sweet and sour.
To serve:
- Place your duck legs in a serving bowl and spoon the walnut pomegranate sauce over them and top off with some lovely pomegranate seeds. Serve the stew with a fluffy saffron basmati rice.
