Pomegranate and Walnut Chicken Stew (Khoresht-e-Fesenjan)

March 21st is both the first day of spring and Navroz (Persian New Year). To learn more about the holiday, please see my blog post for kuku, a herb frittata commonly made for the occasion.

Several recent films have featured Persian characters or culture. The 2004 Oscar-winning Crash depicted an Iranian-American shop owner and his daughter. The 2007 action film 300 portrayed the ancient victory of the Spartans over the Persian King Xerxes and his army. That same year, the animated film Persepolis depicted the coming-of-age of a young Iranian woman. Last year marked the release of A Separation, which follows the separation of a middle class couple in Tehran. This January, the film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, becoming the first Iranian film to garner that honor.

Persia has also recently shown up in television. The current show 90210 features a Persian American character named Navid Shirazi and I recently learned of a new reality show – the Shahs of Sunset – about some members of the Persian community in Southern California.

The interest is beginning to extend to Persian cuisine which is becoming increasingly popular in North America.  Even some South Asian dishes – including biryani – have their origins in Iran.  One of my favorite dishes is this rich and sweet chicken stew made with walnuts and pomegranates.  This is an easy and forgiving dish; it can be made several days in advance and will last for about a week.


Serves 8

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds skinless chicken or duck legs or thighs (dark meat is better than white meat)
2 onions, roughly diced
2 cups walnuts, finely ground
2 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup pomegranate molasses
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 teaspoons salt or to taste
black pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoon sugar or to taste
pomegranate arils, fresh dill, or lemon zest (optional)

Directions
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, brown chicken in olive oil. Remove and reserve on a plate.
2. Add onions to pot and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add walnuts, stock, and browned chicken. Bring to a boil; simmer covered for 30 minutes.
4. Add pomegranate molasses, cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Simmer covered for a further 60 minutes. The sauce will thicken and turn dark brown in color. The meat may come off the bone or you can pull it off the bones as it softens. In either case, discard the bones.
5. Add sugar, if desired, and adjust other seasonings. Simmer for 15 more minutes.
6. Garnish with one or more of the following - pomegranate arils, fresh dill, and lemon zest.
7. Serve with basmati rice (plain, dill or sour cherry) or couscous.

Shrimp Biryani

This is my first post in 2012 – it’s been a busy year so far!

While I continue to cook fairly regularly, my blogging has lagged as I’ve not been able to find the time to draft detailed and history-rich entries. I’ve decided that – in the interest of posting more often – I may limit the preludes to my recipes.

This is the second biryani I’ve featured on this blog. A chicken version, featured in a post which describes the history of biryani, is available here. While biryani is most commonly made with lamb, beef, and goat, this shrimp version provides an alternative for pescetarians. You can read more about shrimp in my post for Lime Shrimp Curry.


Ingredients
Shrimp
2 lbs shrimp
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Rice
3 1/2 cups Basmati rice
3 tablespoons corn oil
1 medium onion, diced (optional)
3 pieces cinnamon bark
5 cardamom pods
7 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Sauce
2 tablespoons oil
4 cardamom pods
3 pieces cinnamon bark
1 1/4 cup fried onions, ground in a mortar and pestle
3 tomatoes, grated (skins discarded)
3 green serrano peppers (optional - they are hot)
3/4 cup yogurt
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons garlic
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 cup water (as desired)
cilantro (optional)


Directions
Shrimp
1. Marinate shrimp in lemon juice and salt for 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Rice
2. Wash rice and soak for 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil on medium low, and sauté onion. Once translucent, sauté cinnamon bark and cardamom pods until bubbling. Add water (be careful as this will splatter). Then add salt and increase temperature to medium high.
4. When the water boils, add turmeric and then soaked rice. When the water boils again, cover (leaving room for steam to escape) and turn to low heat (not simmer).
5. After about 10 minutes when the majority of the water has evaporated, shake the pot and lower heat to simmer. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Alternately, place pot in an oven at 225 F to dry slowly which will produce fluffy rice.

Sauce
6. In a large pot, heat oil. Once warm add cardamom pods and cinnamon bark.
7. Then add fried onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes.
8. Then add next nine ingredients and sauté for 5 minutes until you have a thick gravy. Add water as desired.
9. Add shrimp and stir until warm.
10. Serve on a large platter with rice as the base. Then spoon shrimp biryani on top. Garnish with cilantro.

Note: Do not eat the cooked cardamom pods and cinnamon bark. They add aroma and taste but should not be consumed.

Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti

Biscotti are twice-baked cookies that originated in the Italian town of Prato.  They are sometimes referred to as biscotti di Prato or Prato biscuits.  The name derives from the Medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning twice-baked.  Through French, the word found its way to English as biscuit which now refers to a variety of baked goods including sweet cookies, savory crackers, and small soft breads.

Historically, double baking made the cookies very dry and therefore less perishable than other foods.  They were especially valuable for long journeys and during times of war.  In that way, they are similar to the famously dry Anzac biscuits sent by Antipodean families to young men fighting in Europe during World War I.

Biscotti are a type of cantuccini, a generic term for a variety of twice-baked cookies.  Traditionally, biscotti were made only with almonds, pine nuts, eggs, sugar, and flour.  In contrast, cantuccini may include leavening agents, fats, spices, and other types of nuts.  Outside Italy, the terms cantuccini and biscotti are often conflated.  Within Italy, the term cantuccini is most often used in Tuscany to refer to almond biscotti which are generally served with vin santo.  Similar cookies are also common in certain parts of Spain.

This is the third biscotti recipe posted on Treat a Week and it contains pistachios (green) and cranberries (red) in honor of Christmas.  Guest blogger Sarah posted a lime pistachio biscotti recipe in 2008.  That same year I posted what I referred to as a peanut biscotti, which I now realize was a misnomer since it was not double baked.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup light olive oil (do not use regular olive oil as it will impart a strong olive taste)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups pistachios (shelled)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 300F.

2.       In a small bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder.  Set aside.

3.       In a large bowl, using a large wooden spoon, mix olive oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

4.       Beat in eggs, one at a time.

5.       Slowly add flour mixture until well combined.

6.       Add cranberries and pistachios and mix until well incorporated.

7.       Divide the sticky dough in half.  On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, form two logs (2-4 inches wide).  To better handle the dough, wet hands with cool water.  You can also wear latex gloves.

8.       Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the dough is light brown.  Remove from the oven for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 275F.

9.       When slightly cool, cut logs into 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch thick slices.  Place cookies on their sides and bake for a further 8-10 minutes or until dry.  Cool.

10.   Store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

This dessert is the marriage of two of my favorite Thanksgiving treats – pumpkin pie and cheesecake. It combines evocative pumpkin pie filling and fragrant fall spices with rich and satisfying cheesecake. It’s the perfect antidote for people who have overdosed on traditional desserts.

This is the third pumpkin pie featured on this blog – click here for coconut and cayenne variations. It is also the sixth cheesecake I’ve presented – check out these peach, blueberry, lemon, berry, and almond mascarpone versions.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Filling
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin filling
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. 

2. To make crust, in a large bowl mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar.

3. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, pack the crumb mixture so that it evenly covers the bottom and sides of a 9-inch metal pie tin.

4. In another large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well mixed.

6. Set aside 1/3 of the mixture in a small bowl.

7. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix with a wooden spoon.

8. Spoon pumpkin batter into base. Dot with dollops of reserved plain batter.

9. Using a butter knife, gently mix the plain batter into the pumpkin batter to create a swirl effect. Be careful not to disturb the crumb base.

10. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the batter has set.

11. Cool at room temperature and refrigerate at least four hours before serving.