Name: Khoresht Fesenjan
Cook time: 9000 s
Total time: 9000 s
Yield: 4-5
Ingredients: medium onions; dates; walnuts; saffron; + 4 c water, divided; turmeric; pomegranate molasses; bone in and skin on chicken legs; Pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley to garnish

Zachary Neman

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Or otherwise known as @cheffinwithzach. I would describe myself as both a nerd and foodie. I graduated college with a bachelor's degree in computer science (Yes, I could have coded the website myself, but I was lazy. My true passion is cooking (eating too, of course), and I decided to pursue all things food instead of entering the tech world.

I began making food content about a 2 years ago–I was instantly in love with the process of brainstorming creative content ideas then turning that into a reality. To me, food content means connecting with others through stories and new ideas about food while inspiring them to cook.

I'm incredibly grateful to have the opportunity and privilege to turn my passion my career. Right now, I'm creating cooking content and I couldn't be any happier.

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A big theme found in Persian food is the combination of sweet and sour, Khoresht Fesenjan is a prime example. This is a truly unique dish, a rich, decadent pomegranate-walnut stew. Kind of like a Persian version of the popular Mexican mole! 

This Fesenjan has dates in it as the source of sweetness, whereas most will use sugar, and others will use squash or pumpkin. When I posted the video for this dish on IG and TikTok, many fellow Persians were so surprised to see me use dates. Some loved the idea, others not so much. I only recently discovered from a friend–who explores the Jewish genre of Persian cuisine (@tannazsassonni on IG)–that using dates is a Jewish thing. I found this so fascinating because it always seemed so normal to my as I’ve watched my mom make this a bunch of times. It made sense to me why so many were shocked to see the usage of dates, as us Persian Jews are a rare breed.

Khoresht Fesenjan

Start with prep: finely dice onions; remove seeds and chop/smash dates into a paste; throw walnuts into a food processor and turn into a fine paste. Crush saffron and add 1/4 c water to bloom it.

In a large pot over medium high heat, sauté opinion with a generous pinch of salt and turmeric. Once translucent, add walnut paste. Continue to sauté until oil begins to leech out of the walnuts and the mixture is nicely toasted a brownish color. Add pomegranate molasses, date paste, and the saffron water along with a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine, and add the other 4 c of water. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid, and simmer over low for at least two hours.

With about 15 minutes left of the stew simmering, generously season chicken legs and sear over high heat until nicely colored golden brown on both sides. Pull off the heat and add to the stew. Pour in a little water to the pan you cooked the chicken in and scrub to get the fond off the bottom. Add this deeply flavored water to the stew. Simmer for another hour or until the chicken is fully cooked through.

If you would like to get an extra smooth fesenjan, remove chicken and blend with an immersion blender then add the chicken back in.

Stew should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley to garnish

Serve with rice, and optionally garnish with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley