Fesenjan

Description
I had this marvelous dish in a Mediterranean Cafe. The fragrance is wonderful and the taste sublime.



Ingredients

 * 1/4 cup olive oil
 * 2 small onions, sliced thin
 * 3 cloves garlic, minced
 * 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
 * 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
 * 2 1/2 cups walnuts, finely ground
 * 2/3 cup pomegranate syrup
 * 2 1/2 cups stock or water
 * 2 tablespoons sugar
 * 1 tablespoon salt
 * 2 teaspoons pepper
 * 1 1/4 teaspoons saffron (optional)
 * 2 limes, juice of
 * 2 1/2-3 lbs bone-in poultry, of choice

Directions

 * Heat butter or oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.
 * Add onions and sauté until wilted and translucent.
 * Add garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg and sauté, stirring, for another 1-2 minutes.
 * Stir in walnuts, pomegranate syrup, stock, sugar, salt, pepper and saffron.
 * Adjust sugar and salt to taste.
 * Bring to a low boil and simmer 1/2 hour.
 * Add chicken and simmer on low heat another 30-60 minutes.
 * Halfway through the cooking time, add the lime juice to taste.
 * The sauce will thicken and darken during this cooking time, and the oil will begin to render out of the walnuts.
 * Add water or stock if necessary to prevent the sauce from thickening too much and scorching.
 * Serve with plain white rice.
 * NOTES Fesenjan is special occasion food in Iran.
 * It is traditionally made with duck or pheasant in the north of the country along the Caspian sea.
 * It is a thick, rich, sweet-sour dish that improves in flavor the next day.
 * Pomegranate syrup is available in most Middle Eastern and health food stores.
 * If it is unavailable, you can use an equal amount of frozen, concentrated cranberry juice.
 * The flavor is roughly the same.
 * You can use a whole bone-in chicken if you like.
 * Cut it into 8 serving pieces and remove most of the skin.
 * The bones will give the dish a richer flavor.