Pomegranate Chicken (Fesenjan)

A while back my sister-in-law sent me this recipe. I don't know if she knew how obsessed with pomegranate juice I am, but I. am. obsessed. It has a tart, full taste with a little bit of citrus and a complex sort of mellow body to it. Basically, its complex, distinct, and very good. Sip it slowly and let it roll around your mouth to really grasp the full extent of it. 

While I normally seek inspiration from others, I rarely keep a recipe as I found it. It's nothing to do against the original creator - I just flat out like to tinker with food.

However, I tried slightly modifying this once, and just wasn't happy with the outcome. Dana, on her blog Minimalist Baker, has created a wonderful dish. It's a sweet, nutty, and savory sauce with chunks of tender chicken. It has a kick of pomegranate flavor that really ties in a lot of the curry like turmeric and sweetness from the honey. 

It can be served with naan, rice, or cauliflower rice (my favorite).  And please, for the love of good food, serve this with a glass of pomegranate juice. 

POM Juice in it's glory. Photo rights go to this site.

As I made almost no adaptations to this, and her post is so well written, I will post the original recipe in it's original form, giving her full credit. For her full description of this dish, and all her tips, tricks, and suggestions, please visit her blog, or blog post Fesenjan (Pomegranate Chicken). 

I hope you enjoy! 

FESENJAN (POMEGRANATE CHICKEN)

 

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PREP TIME

1 hour

COOK TIME

1 hour

TOTAL TIME

2 hours

 

A classic Persian dish made simple with a few time-saving techniques. Vegan optional and naturally gluten free. Plus, healthy and filling and perfect for gatherings or everyday weeknight meals.

Author: Minimalist Baker

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Persian

Serves: 3-4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses (or 1 8-oz. bottle pom juice)
• 1.5 cups walnut halves
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1.5-inch cubes*
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock*
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• pinch each cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper
• Optional: 1 cup uncooked white or brown rice (I used jasmine) for serving
• Optional: 1 cup pomegranate arils and fresh parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If you don’t have pomegranate molasses, make your own by pouring pomegranate juice into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, add a pinch of salt and a little lime juice and simmer for 45 minutes until reduced. Set aside to cool. You will have leftovers.
2. Next, toast walnuts in a shallow pan over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Once cooled, transfer to a food processor or blender and blend into a fine meal. Set aside.
3. Next, if you’re serving with rice, start by rinsing 1 cup rice in a fine mesh strainer. Bring 2 cups water to a boil, add rice and a pinch of salt. Cover and turn to low. White rice should take 18-25 minutes; brown rice 30-40. Don’t open lid until it’s done. Fluff and set aside, covered.
4. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot add 1 Tbsp olive oil and onions. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally.
5. In a separate pan over medium heat, cook the chicken in two batches in a bit of olive oil. Once browned, add it directly to the pot with the onions. Salt chicken while browning.
6. Once all the chicken is in the pot, add chicken stock and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and add pomegranate molasses, honey, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and walnuts. Simmer for 15-25 minutes or more, until desired thickness is reached. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
8. Serve over rice or with naan. Garnish with pomegranate arils and parsley. Store leftovers covered in the fridge. Should keep for several days.

Pastrami Sandwich with Swiss and Caramelized Onions

So this is pretty much amazing. Like I've mentioned before regarding French Onion Soup, something magical happens when caramelized onions and Swiss cheese get together. It's not quite a Jane Austen romance novel type of magical, it's more like the Cinderella's pumpkin turning into a magnificent carriage to transport a beautiful woman to a ball type of magical. 

Depending on what else swiss and caramelized onions are paired with, the flavors that are highlighted are different. In this sandwich, there is almost a sweet, nutty and earthy flavor that is brought out. Pair that with the salty, smokey, and peppery taste of the pastrami, this sandwich becomes an instant favorite. 

The pastrami I used here was from Trader Joes. I will say that although I really liked it, I haven't had tons of other pastrami to compare it to. Also, I used sourdough bread as I abhor rye bread which apparently is the more popular for this kind of thing. 

Ingredients: 

Sliced/shaved pastrami 

Sliced Swiss cheese 

Caramelized onions (about 1/4-1/2 onion per person should be good, FYI) 

Dijon and/or honey mustard

Sliced bread, any type, but something more substantial is better. Sourdough, rye, ciabatta, etc. 

Directions: 

Spread desired amount of mustard on two slices of bread. Layer on pastrami, cheese, the onions, and top with second slice of bread. I find it works best with the cheese in the middle. 

Grill if desired, but it can be served cold too. 

Enjoy!!

Citrus Salad with Cardamom Honey

Recently there was a sale on oranges at the grocery store. To be honest, I'm not a huge orange fan. Sure, I'll eat the little Cutie Clementines around the holidays, or take a sliced orange off a fruit platter to be polite, but I much prefer grapefruits. However, oranges were on sale ($.10 each!), they had blood oranges in stock - which is rare - and I had grapefruits at home. Additionally, I had been itching to try the cardamom infused honey. So needless to say, I bought way too many oranges and basically pranced in the house as I thought about making this.

And, here's the shout out for cardamom - it's pretty much amazing. I can see why wars were fought over spice routes. Aside from spices really making or breaking food, there is just so much variety! Amongst all that variety, there is a palpable taste of beauty in the complexities and simplicities of spices and food alike. Cardamom is no different. Just like a gothic cathedral is a different type of beautiful than a Amazonian waterfall - cardamom is like looking up through the leaves in an oak forest into a blue sky verses colorfully clad dancers in the Rio de Janeiro carnival. Cardamom is subtle, grounded, and very versatile. You would never think that the dancer type beauty of the citrus would go so perfectly complimented by the gentle stability of cardamom. But it does!



The great thing about this beauty of a citrus salad like this is that it is a really nice and pretty pick-me-up during the dreary winter months. As citrus is more of a winter fruit anyway, it can be pretty and relatively in season which is wonderful.

In regards to the flavors - there is of course the main sweet tang of the citrus; light sweetness from the orange, a deeper sweetness from the blood orange, and a burst of ruby tang from the grapefruit. Then there is the gentle cloak of amber honey followed by a soft hint of earthy mellowness from the cardamom. While the cardamom honey is not a powerful flavor in this dish, it gives it a distinct and grown up that separates it from other citrus salads and soccer snacks.



Citrus Salad with Cardamom Honey

1 blood orange
2 regular oranges
1 grapefruit

2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoons reserved citrus juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Optional:
Mint leaves and lavender for garnish

Directions: 

In a small sauce pan, or in a deep microwaveable glass bowl, mix honey and cardamom. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds. Or, heat over medium heat until bubbling, reduce to low and heat while continually stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from heat or microwave, set aside.

Peel and slice or segment the citrus fruits. Mine is shown in round slices (click here for my quick tutorial) or you can segment them (this is a decent link). There will be lots of juice run off - reserve this. Add at least 1 Tablespoon to the honey mixture and stir until incorporated.

Arrange slices on a large, rimmed serving platter. Pour the honey mixture over the slices, top with mint leaves(pictured with basil -the only green stuff I had) and lavender, if desired.

Serve lightly chilled.

How to Cut Citrus

This is a quick way to prep citrus fruit for a Citrus Salad or any dish that required citrus segments or slices. Enjoy! 

Helpful hints:

- Use a very sharp knife and watch those fingers! 

- Use a cutting board that has a grooved or raised edges so the juices won't spill onto the counter. 

Wash fruit, and cut off both ends. 

Place fruit on end 

Using a sharp knife, cut down into the peel, revealing the inner flesh. 

Continue until peel and white membrane is entirely removed. 

Flip, and repeat with any remaining peel. You can move the knife in a curved
motion so you don't have to flip it. Do whichever is more comfortable for you. 

Lay on side, and cut crosswise through the fruit. 

Greek Salad

This just hits the spot for me, and after LOTS of trying different products, I'll post the ones I actually really really like in this post. However, these are my preferences, and if you have others ones, cool.

For me, I found the key to eating more salads was having more stuff on them I liked. I felt less guilty about eating a large salad with a 'fatty' dressing, than I did about having something else with less leafy greens *cough cough - hamburgers and french fries*. So, I decided I would spend a couple extra bucks on a more expensive dressing, or a non-store brand of olives, or whatever it was, because that was my 'flat abs' tax.

It isn't gourmet eating, but it isn't shoe string eating. This follows my philosophy of "when I eat better I feel better".


So back to this whole "the are the products I prefer". When I like something, I make sure it's brand label is clear in pictures or I will list it by name in the ingredients.

Now, for a word about this salad. There are many variations of a Greek Salad out there, so what I'm posting is hardly creative. It is however a favorite of mine because it's crunch, salty, healthy, and has a little bit of zing from the onions and olives working some food magic. The feta adds a different dimension too - a soft saltiness in regards to flavor,  and a nice texture contrast to the crisp lettuce and crunchy onions.

I'm also posting it because I've been on this salad kick since the summer months. I didn't know I'd feel so much better about life by incorporating a large, leafy, veggie laden salad everyday (okay, almost every day). I hope you enjoy!


Ingredients: 

1 head Romain Lettuce, chopped
1 roma tomato or 1 handful cherry tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup Mezzetta Kalamata Olives, drained
1/2 English Cucumber, cut into rounds
1-2 thin slices Red Onion
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Croutons - optional

1/4 cup Litehouse Greek Vinaigrette Dressing

Directions:
Clean and chop lettuce. Dice tomatoes. Slice 1-2 thin sections of the onion. Cut the cucumber into rounds. Drain olives.

Place all ingredients on a bed of the chopped Romain lettuce. Drizzle with dressing and serve fresh.





Cooking for an army? 
3 heads Romain
1 9.5oz jar Mezzetta Kalamata Olives
2 English cucumbers
5-6 onion slices
2/3 cup feta

Serve dressing as a side.

Caramel Sauce

Interesting fact about Caramel vs Carmel - the former is a food, the latter is a place. Personally, if I could walk around saying 'carmel' all day and have people (i.e. grammar nuts) know that I'm talking about food, I would do it. However, now that I've looking into it I don't think I can justify saying 'carmel' anymore. BOOO!! Car-a-mel is just a mouthful after cute little 'carmel'. That whole extra syllable is killing me. Anyway, sarcastic humor aside, this caramel sauce is amazing. Use it on anything and it will make it amazing. I always eat a spoonful or three during the process and my sink becomes a modern art gallery of forsaken spoons shortly thereafter.

It's basically the same thing as my caramel for Salted Caramel Popcorn, but with heavy cream added. I know, you're thinking "Butter, sugary, caramelly goodness WITH CREAM!?!?" Yeah - me too. I told you - this makes everything better.

This sauce can be used for almost anything that calls for the store bought stuff. Ice cream topping, cakes, apple nachos, or just plain old snacking. If you're feeling very decadent, add twice the amount of cream and use it as fondue, see my note below.



Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt (double if you like salted caramel)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup cream

Directions:

In a deep sauce pan, combine all ingredients except cream and vanilla bring to a gentle boil over medium heat (about 5 minutes). Boil one minute, stirring frequently. Add baking soda - it will foam up - and stir until all the caramel is foamy. Add cream and vanilla and boil an additional minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and transfer to a two cup glass measuring cup or small heat proof bowl. Allow to cool completely. Refrigerate leftovers (yeah right) in a air tight jar or container.

Caramel Fondue:

Add twice the amount of cream, boil 1 minute. Remove from direct heat, but keep warm in a fondue pot, or a double broiler on low.

Chicken with Artichoke Hearts

I hope to make this again so I can add better pictures, but if not, know that I enjoyed every bite of this single serving!

This dish is inspired by a recipe I came across while waiting for Mr. Animator at the dentist. It captured my attention because I had been craving artichokes and seemed super easy. As is almost always the case, I followed the general gist of the recipe while flying by the seat of my pants for the rest of it, and came up with my own version.

Whats great about this dish is that it's easy, full of flavor, and very healthy. It could be served with rice, steamed veggies, sautéed green beans, or a large salad. You can easily add more artichokes if you're a lover, and decrease the amount used if you're a hater. 

The salty tang from the marinated artichokes is a great foil to the sharp, nutty parmesan  and these two partners in crime blend perfectly with the savory taste of the chicken. Also, broiling the artichokes releases more of the natural earthy vegetable flavor and gives them a beautiful brown toasting that adds an extra dimension to the dish. 

I know this isn't a great picture, and it's only of a single serving, but I was too anxious to eat this so I couldn't wait! 

Ingredients:

1 large jag (14oz) marinated artichoke hearts

4 chicken breasts or 6 chicken tenderloins 

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1-2 teaspoon salt

1/2-1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven on broiler, move top rack 6-8 inches from the heat. 

In a large bowl, add lightly drain artichokes, oil, salt, and pepper. Mix, then add chicken and toss until coated. Pour artichokes and chicken into a large pan, and arrange so nothing is over lapping. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning over chicken about half way through cooking time. During the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time, sprinkle the dish with parmesan cheese. Once cheese is browned and chicken reaches an internal temperature 165º, remove and serve!