Sour, sweet, earthy, dark...

── Recipe in hand ──

It was in the kitchen in one of the drawers. 

A new place is very much like a Pandora's box. Every undiscovered corner might have something waiting for you.


Well, this recipe is for a special dish called "Khoresht‑e Fesenjan". It is a Persian walnut stew, a dish like no other!



The recipe calls for:

 Ground walnuts   
 Pomegranate molasses   
 Chicken (or duck)    
 Onions   
 Salt, Pepper, Sugar, Turmeric  
 Water or broth      
 Oil   

Hmm, I have a few pomegranates but not the pomegranate molasses (no kidding). I squeezed them to get the juice and boiled it down with a bit of sugar and lemon juice. The kitchen smelled lovely too — like caramelized pomegranates, if that makes sense.

Since the recipe calls for a long, slow simmer, I figured duck would make more sense as it won't fall apart, plus it is richer in flavor. It seems traditional recipes often call for duck as well.

I started by sautéing an onion, then browned the duck. I then tossed everything else in and let it simmer until dinner.

***

Rice! That was a given. 

Closer to dinnertime, I made some basmati rice for obvious reasons. With saffron, for equally obvious reasons. And some butter to bring it to life.

It was well worth the long hours of cooking — a dish so unique, it does not compare to anything else in flavour.

It also has a dark, golden glow as a result of the combination of the molasses and the walnuts.

Once you’ve tasted it, it quietly stays with you...

***

...A thought crosses my mind: what treasures wait quietly in the attic?