A Persian Solstice Celebration of Pomegranates and Walnuts

The Persians have a special festive dish for this dark time of year they celebrate as Shab-e Yalda, the winter solstice: Fesinjan, spelled many different ways in English, and cooked many different ways in the Middle East. Sometimes it's made with pheasant, more frequently with duck and usually nowadays with chicken. I've even come across a modern vegetarian version featuring winter vegetables. So you can vary the meat if you wish. What's never negotiable are pomegranates, walnuts and cinnamon--providers of the heartwarming, heart stopping flavor this dish brings to the table. Plus the red pomegranates and a touch of chopped cilantro in the end give it the right colors for right now. It's also easily made in quantity for family celebrations. So herewith several versions of the beloved winter solstice special Persians bring to the table.

Persian Fisinjon (Duck in Walnut Sauce)
 It's often recommended to make this a day ahead so the flavor gets really rich. It's served with fluffy steamed basmati rice and further trimmings of your choice such as green vegetables, salad or pickles.
Serves 8 but you can cut it in half

2 ducklings (close to 5 lbs), backbone removed and each cut into pieces
1 1/2 c ground walnuts
1 1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts (walnut pieces in the bag will work)
4 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee
1 lg yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 c pomegranate molasses
4 tbsp sugar
3-4 c chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Preheat oven to 400º. Place ducks in a racked baking dish (so the fat drips off) and bake 30 minutes until the pieces are brown.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and melt 1 tbsp butter. Add walnuts (both) and pan roast stirring continually with a wooden spoon to toast them, about 8 minutes.
In a heavy gauge casserole pot, melt the rest of the butter. Add the onion and sauté 5-8 minutes until it's translucent and soft. Lower heat to low. Add the walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar, cinnamon, salt, pepper and 3 c chicken broth. Blend everything and simmer 10 minutes. Add the duck, stir to coat it well with the sauce. If more sauce is needed slowly add the remaining chicken broth a drizzle at a time to not get too much. Cover the pot and cook over low heat 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and add broth if necessary.
Serve garnished with pomegranate seeds and a fistful of chopped fresh cilantro for color.

Turkish Version: Acem Yahnisi.

From the western part of Turkey that borders on Persia. It's home-cooked stew once made with pheasant but now mostly with chicken.
Serves 4
3 pomegranates (or 1 pomegranate and 1 c pomegranate juice
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee
2 yellow onions, finely diced
1 medium (3-4) lb chicken, cut into its natural parts
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 c walnuts, finely chopped or crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
a few chopped fresh mint leaves for garnish

Halve the pomegranates. Remove the seeds from one of the halves and set aside for garnish.
To get pomegranate juice you can either squeeze the remaining halves over a strainer or you can remove all the seeds and put them in a food processor and blitz them. Or you can buy pomegranate juice!

In a heavy gauge casserole, melt the butter/ghee over medium heat. Stir in the onions and sauté 5 minutes so they turn golden. Add the chicken pieces and brown them lightly, 7-8 minutes. Pour over the pomegranate and lemon juice. Stir in the cinnamon, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low/simmer. Cover the pot and cook 35-40 minutes. Check every so often and stir to see if it needs more liquid. Add water if so.

While the chicken is cooking, preheat the oven to 400º. When ready, remove the lid from the casserole pot, sprinkle the walnuts over the chicken and bake 10 minutes until the walnuts are roasted and golden.
Transfer the chicken pieces to a serving dish. Stir the walnuts into the sauce in the pot and then spoon them over and around the chicken. Top with the reserved pomegranate seeds and mint leaves to serve.

Winter Vegetable Fesenjan

This is a British take on the Persian flavors. Vegan if you don't garnish with yogurt.

1/2 lb walnuts
1 lg sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" chunks
1 lg baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" chunks
1/2 med/sm celeriac bulb, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" chunks
1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
6 tbsp good quality olive oil (that's 1/3 c more or less)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1 lg yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 1/4 c pomegranate juice
2 tbsp honey
2 c veg broth
1 tsp dried mint leaves
juice of a lemon
To Serve:
Plain Greek yogurt
Seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

Heat the oven to 375º. Spread the walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast 6-7 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside in a processor bowl to cool. Turn oven to 425º. Put the sweet potato, baking potato, celeriac and Brussels sprouts on the cookie sheet spread out. Toss with 3 tbsp olive oil, then season with the thyme. Roast 20-25 minutes until they are golden and crisp at the edges.

While they roast, grind or process the walnuts to the texture of breadcrumbs or meal. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large heavy gauge pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion with a pinch of salt 5 minutes to soften. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg plus 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, molasses, pomegranate juice, honey, veg broth, mint and the ground up walnuts. Add 1 tsp salt. Simmer 25 min stirring regularly until the mixture thickens. It should be loose like heavy cream and smell fabulous. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice and taste for the sweet sour effect. Add more lemon juice if necessary.

Put the sauce in the bottom of a shallow serving bowl. Pile the roasted vegetables on top. Put dollops of yogurt all around and sprinkle with the remaining pomegranate seeds. 

Serve with saffron rice to be gala.

Another Persian Fesenjan as stewed chicken
serves 6
2 lg yellow onions, peeled and diced
3 tbsp unsalted butter or ghree
2 -3 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1/2 lb walnut halves or pieces
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
2 c chicken broth
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Salt to your taste
Seeds of 1/2 a small pomegranate
fistful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Heat the oven to 350º. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and roast them  8-10 minutes. Allow to cool and then grind them finely in a processor.
In a large heavy casserole pot, heat 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat to melt the butter. Add the chicken, don't crowed the pan, work in batches of you must, and cook until its golden brown on both sides, Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the pan, reduce heat to low and add the onions. Sauté until translucent, stirring occasionally to get the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
    Put the chicken back in the pan. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover the pan and simmer 30 minutes.
    Stir in the ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar and spices. Cover and simmer (very low heat) 1 hour, stirring a few times to prevent sticking. Add a bit of chicken broth of necessary.
   Steam rice and pour it into a shallow bowl. Top with the chicken stew and garnish with pomegranate seeds.