Persian Chicken Stew with Pomegranate and Almonds

This recipe is I am afraid a shameless rip off of Stewed founder Alan Rosenthals take on Khoresht fesenjan,  a Persian Chicken Stew made with pomegranate molasses and walnuts ( previously reproduced by Niamh at Eat Like a Girl )

I am happily addicted to pomegranate molasses and always looking for new recipes. In fact liked the sound of the recipe so much I bought his cookbook, worth a look I could definitely eat every dish in it.

If you think stew is just beef, carrots and gravy (Can’t believe anyone reading my blog would?)  this book will change you mind with Kashmiri Lamb with Yogurt and Ginger, Italain Caponata Aubgerine stew & Beef Massaman Curry. Also although not mentioned by Alan , I think they all lend themselves really well to cooking in my beloved slow cooker.

The first time I made it I followed the recipe completely tracking down sour cherries ,  toasting and grinding walnuts and scaterring the finished dish with fresh pomegrante seeds. It was a lvoely dish to eat around Christmas,  sweet and sour.

 Now summer I have tweaked the recipe for more cheaper and readily available ingredeints , nuttiness ground almonds , sweetness from dates, sour from lemons,  the one thing I could not do without is pomegrante molasses to add that sour note.

I am tortured by an intermittent supply of  pomegrante molasses from the Kaya Food Centre  and I also know it is one of those sometimes elusive ingredients in areas not blessed by international food markets. in fact I get about 3 emails a week asking where I source it for my slow cooked lamb recipe.

So to ensure anyone can enjoy this recipe, I tried making  my own molasses using with a carton of pomegranate juice. You end up with a rich ruby syrup that will keep in the fridge for ages.

How to make your own pomegranate molasses/syrup

1ltr of pomegranate juice
75g of sugar
50g of lemon juice

1. Put all the ingredients into a pan on the hob
2. Being to a gentle simmer until the juice has reduced to just a quarter it will have a syrupy consistency
3. While still warm but not boiling pour into a jar
4. This will keep for months in the cupboard

Persian Chicken Stew

Serves 4

5 chicken legs skin removed ( this is the thigh and drumstick)
1 large onion roughly chopped
100g of gound almonds
50g of pitted finely chopped dates
2 garlic cloves
50ml of pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp of oil
400ml of chicken stock  ( half this amount if you are using a slow cooker)
1 large lemon roughly chopped
1 tsp of dried chilli flakes

To serve fresh coriander or parsley
1 red chilli roughly chopped
toasted flaked almonds

1. Fry the onions , garlic and chicken in oil in a   heavy bottomed lidded casserole dish
2. Add the almonds , chilli and stir well to coat the chicken and brown the nuts slightly
3. Add the stock , lemon , dates and pomegranate molasses.
4. Cover and  place in the oven at 180deg for 2 hours or alternatively simmer on a very low heat. Alternatively , place all the ingredients in a slow cooker, stir well and cook on low for six hours
5. You can serve as is but for easy eating ,after cooking allow to cool and flake the chicken from from the bones, returning the meat to the sauce and warm through
6. Serve scatter with fresh coriander or  parsley, freshly chopped red chillis , toasted flaked almonds.

Serve with bulgar wheat , flat breads , and some fresh lemon wedges.