Lamb Fesenjan – Lamb with Pomegranate Walnut Sauce

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This recipe is courtesy of Saad Fayed. A restaurateur with an avid interest in preparing Middle Eastern cuisine, he has lived and traveled in many Middle Eastern countries, experiencing the flavors and specialties of each region. Saad is currently writing a cookbook that features his family’s favorite dishes. Pomegranate syrup (also known as pomegranate molasses) can be purchased online from The Spice House.

Ingredients

large onion, sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/4 cup pomegranate syrup

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

2 cups walnuts, crushed

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon tumeric

1/2 teaspoon cardamom, ground

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

In a large frying pan, sauté onions in olive oil. Once onions begin to brown add lamb cubes. Simmer on low and allow to cook for about 25 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare pomegranate sauce by combining the chicken stock, pomegranate syrup, walnuts, and sugar in saucepan over low heat. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Once lamb is done simmering, drain fat and juices. Add spices and mix well. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add pomegranate sauce and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Serve immediately with white rice. Sprinkle toasted walnuts on top for garnish.

Heat scale: mild

Roast Duck Breasts with Pomegranate-Chile Sauce

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The pomegranate component in this dish is provided by another popular product: Pom brand bottled pomegranate juice. This can be made with chicken breasts instead, but be sure to roast them until cooked through. Recipe courtesy of Selma Brown Morrow of Bon Appétit.

Ingredients

Sauce:

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 cups refrigerated pomegranate juice (such as Pom)

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

4 large dried New Mexican chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo*

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin (not toasted)

Coarse kosher salt


Duck:

8 5-to 6-ounce boneless duck breast halves, skin and fat trimmed to size of breast

Coarse kosher salt

Ground coriander

Fresh pomegranate seeds

Instructions

For sauce:
Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil until syrup is deep amber color, swirling pan occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add juice, broth, and California chiles. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat; cool. Puree in tightly covered blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Whisk in adobo sauce, vinegar, and cumin. Season to taste with generous amount of coarse salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over low heat before using.


For duck:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Score skin of duck (don’t cut into flesh) with 5 cuts in 1 direction; repeat in opposite direction, making diamond pattern. Sprinkle duck all over with coarse salt, pepper, and ground coriander. Place 2 large ovenproof skillets over medium-high heat. Add duck, skin side down, to skillets, dividing equally. Cook duck until skin is crisp and deep brown, about 7 minutes. Turn duck over; cook 1 minute. Pour off fat. Transfer skillets to oven. Roast duck until cooked to medium-rare, about 5 minutes.

Transfer duck to cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice each breast crosswise on slight diagonal. Arrange slices on plates. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Heat scale: medium

*Dried, smoked jalapeños in a spicy tomato sauce called adobo; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets.

Himalayan Chile Sauce

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From one of my far-flung writers, Linda Lynton, this recipe is a basic 
sauce from northern India and Nepal. She noted: “Although this specific 
recipe was given to me by a Patna housewife, some peasants originating 
from a remote Himalayan village in Central Nepal and housewives from an 
equally remote village in North Bihar gave us the same recipe.” Use it 
as a topping for chicken, fish, or vegetables.

Ingredients

 

1 pound fresh green chiles, such as serranos or jalapeños, seeds and 
stems removed,
4 small potatoes, peeled and boiled
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Water as needed

Instructions

 

Combine all ingredients in batches in a blender and process to a fine 
puree, using water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

Transplanted Sriracha Sauce

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A table condiment to similar in appearance to ketchup–but much more
pungent–sriracha sauce is named after a seaside town in Thailand.
Increasingly popular, this sauce is found on the tables of Thai and
Vietnamese restaurants all over North America. Fresh red chiles are the
key to the flavor of this recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh red serrano, cayenne, Thai, or chile de arbol chiles,
stems removed
2 1/2 cups rice vinegar (substitute white distilled vinegar)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Remove the stems from the chiles. Place the chiles and vinegar in a
saucepan and heat to boiling. Turn off the heat and add the sugar and
salt and stir until dissolved. Place the saucepan contents in a food
processor or blender and puree until a smooth thin-paste consistency.
Add additional rice vinegar if the mixture is too thick. Allow the
mixture to steep for several hours, place in glass containers, and
refrigerate. The consistency should be slightly thinner than ketchup.
Or, strain the sauce through sieve and discard the solids for a smooth,
seedless consistency.

Ngapi Ye (Hot Burmese Anchovy Sauce)

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This highly aromatic Burmese sauce is commonly used to heat up Southeast
Asian curries. Shrimp or prawn paste may be substituted for the
fermented dried fish if you can’t find it at the Asian market. In a
pinch, use canned anchovy fillets.

Ingredients

2 cups fermented dried fish or anchovies
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup shrimp powder (available in Asian markets)
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons lime juice
6 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

In a saucepan, bring the fish and water to a boil, then reduce the heat,
simmer for five minutes, and mash the fish. Remove from the heat and
when the mixture cools, add the remaining ingredients and stir well.