Persian Walnut Stew (Fesenjan)

I first had walnut stew while visiting my mum in Fredericton, NB. We were too tired to cook, and Cinnamon Café is the perfect place for tasty vegan take out. We ordered several dishes to share, but this stew is what stood out for me. I consider myself an adventurous eater but yet the flavours in this were unique to me. Needless to say I had to try making it at home. The result is this recipe and it is my take of Fensenjen, inspired by what I ate, but I wouldn't use it as reference for the most authentic version out there. I think it is delicious none the less.
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The base of walnut stew is predominately, you guessed it, crushed walnuts.  They are cooked down with onion, garlic, sweet potato and flavoured with pomegranate molasses. The result is a stew that is rich, tangy and slightly sweet. Saffron infused rice on the side is a must, as is a generous garnish of chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds. 

Because this stew is quite rich and packs a pretty big flavour punch I like it best with other bites along side. Warm hummus with tons of sautéed mushrooms (link to recipe below) is an amazing accompaniment. When I had the take out meal I also loved veggie spring rolls with sweet chili sauce and warm flatbread on the side too.  I didn't end up making the full ordeal at home but I totally would if I was planning to feed it to others. 

Fesenjan is a stew from Gilan province, Iran. It is traditionally made with chicken, or other meat but I have used chickpeas to keep it vegan. Cubes of crispy tofu would be a wonderful choice too. I learned that Fesenjan is often prepared during winter solstice celebrations. "Shab-e Yalda" is an Iranian festival to celebrate the longest and darkest night of the year; families gather to eat, drink and read poetry late into the night. Sounds wonderful to me. 

Recipe: Persian Walnut Stew - Fesenjan

Ingredients:

•  1 large onion, small dice
•  6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
•  1 sweet potato, peeled, small dice (scant 2 cups) (I chop them same size as diced onion)
•  2 cups walnuts, ground
•  1.5 tsp fresh minced turmeric
•  1/4 tsp cinnamon
•  1/8th tsp nutmeg
•  1/4 tsp black pepper
•  1 tsp salt (or to taste)
•  3 cups veg stock
•  1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
•  2 tbsp tomato paste
•  2 tsp sambal oelek
•  2 tbsp maple syrup
•  1/2 tsp soy sauce
  
•  1 can chickpeas (optional)

Method:

1. Sauté onions & garlic & sweet potato in a bit of veg oil until softened. Season with 1/2 tsp salt & pepper
2. Add in turmeric, walnuts & spices and stir around for a minute or two
3. Add veg stock and bring to a simmer
4. Add in pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, sambal, maple, soy sauce. (a splash of soy sauce is just a weird thing I randomly add to all sorts of dishes, especially in vegan cooking...feel free to leave it out as it is definitely not authentic, but this is how I roll)
5. Simmer the stew stirring frequently for about 30 minutes. Add the chickpeas and give it another ten minutes or so. The end result should be a thick stew. Add more liquid if necessary, or simmer a little longer if needed. Season with remaining salt if you wish. I prefer to make this a day ahead of when I plan to eat it. Flavours just get better with a bit of time. 
6. Garnish stew with fresh pomegranate and chopped parsley
7. Serve with flatbread and rice. If you have saffron, set aside 1/2 cup of your cooked rice. Mix a pinch of saffron with a splash of water and stir into rice. Then simply put your plain rice in a serving dish and top with the beautiful golden saffron rice for a two toned side dish.

warm hummus & mushrooms