Duck Fesenjan Recipes

Steps:

• Sprinkle meat with lime juice and allow to marinate for 1-4 hours.
• Over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot heat an 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) of the butter or oil until shimmering.
• Add the chicken/duck pieces a few at a time and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.
• Add onions (and eggplant if using - see notes in description) and sauté in remaining butter or oil until translucent.
• Stir in ground walnuts and saute for 1/2 a minute.
• Add stock or water and browned chicken/duck pieces. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes.
• Stir in the pomegranate juice, sugar, salt and pepper.
• Taste and adjust seasoning. Sauce should have a balanced sweet-sour flavor. See notes to adjust.
• Simmer another 15-20 minutes until the chicken/duck is tender, sauce is somewhat thickened and the walnuts begin to give off their oil. Serve with plain white rice.

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• Gently fry the duck breasts in oil, skin side down for 5-10 minutes, until they release their fat. Add the onion, garlic and salt and pepper. Fry until onion is soft, stirring occasionally. Once the skin has browned, turn the heat up and brown the flesh side. Remove the duck from the pan and leave in a warm place.
• Pour the duck fat from the onions and reserve fat for another use. Add the pomegranate molasses, chicken stock, walnuts and a little sugar to taste. Stir well, bring to a simmer then return the duck to the pan. Continue cooking until the duck is medium rare. Rest the duck for 5 minutes while you reduce the liquid to sauce consistency.