An impressive (and vegetarian) spin on a classic Persian dish from Leila Heller’s inspiring new recipe compendium.
Fesenjan is a sweet and sour winter dish from the Caspian region. It is traditionally made with duck, cooked in a walnut-pomegranate sauce, and served over rice.
Here is Nazzy Beglari’s vegetarian version of that dish, prepared with eggplant (aubergine) rather than duck. Nahid Joon was so impressed that she began preparing it for her vegetarian and vegan friends.
- Drain the walnuts, then transfer them into a food processor. Process until grainy. (Take care not to over-process or it will turn into a paste.)
- In a strainer, sprinkle the eggplants (aubergines) with 1 tablespoon of salt and set aside for 20-30 minutes to remove the bitterness and water. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplants in a single layer and fry for 10 minutes, turning halfway, until golden on both sides. If needed, work in batches. Set aside.
- Place the ground walnuts in a saucepan and toast over medium heat, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes, until the walnuts feel warm to the touch. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Reduce the heat to low and sauté for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the pomegranate paste and honey. (Add more honey if you prefer it sweeter.) Pour the mixture into the pan of toasted walnuts. Slowly stir in half the pomegranate juice. Cover and cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. If it’s too thick, thin out with the remaining pomegranate juice. Remove from the heat.
- To serve, pour a third of the pomegranate sauce onto a serving platter. Add a layer of eggplants. Repeat two more times until you have 3 layers of eggplants. Scatter pomegranate seeds over the eggplants. Serve with rice.
Persian Feasts: Recipes & Stories From A Family Table by Leila Heller, with co-authors Lila Charif, Laya Khadjavi and Bahar Tavakolian, $70, published by Phaidon.
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