Fesenjan, or chicken with walnuts and pomegranates

Serve with white rice, a salad shirazi and some crunchy radishes on the side. In place of chicken, you could use duck or butternut squash. I often make a delicious vegetarian version with aubergines, which I’ve included opposite.

250g walnuts (the fresher the better)

1.2 litres cold water

100ml pomegranate molasses

1 tbsp tomato purée

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp sugar.

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

¼ tsp golpar (optional)

800g skinless chicken thighs, on the bone

A handful of pomegranate seeds, to garnish

In a food processor, grind the walnuts until they are extremely fine and have the consistency of a smooth paste. Place the ground nuts in a large casserole pot with 1 litre of water and mix well. Bring to the boil and cook on a high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 1 hour, partially covered, stirring occasionally to stop the walnuts sticking.

Add the remaining 200ml of water, give the sauce a good stir, then stick the lid back on and leave to simmer for another hour. If the sauce starts looking dry, add some more cold water. You are aiming for a thick, porridge-like consistency.

The sauce should now have thickened and darkened in colour. Add the pomegranate molasses, tomato purée, cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper and golpar (if you have some) and stir well. Add the chicken pieces, place the lid on the pot and continue to cook over a low heat for 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is a glossy, dark chocolate colour.

Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust to your preference: to make it a bit sweeter add more sugar, or pomegranate molasses to make it sourer. Cook for a final 10 minutes with the lid off so the sauce thickens around the meat. Sprinkle with a handful of pomegranate seeds before serving.

Aubergine fesenjan

Follow the recipe above, substituting the chicken with thick slices of grilled aubergine. While the walnut sauce is cooking, take two aubergines and slice them lengthways in half and then into quarters. Brush the slices with a little olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.

Heat the grill to medium. Place the aubergines under the grill for about 10 minutes, turning once until they are cooked on both sides. Gently add the aubergines to the stew just before serving to warm them up. Take care not to mix them too much when they are in the pot, as they will disintegrate.