Recipe: Persian Chicken and Prune Stew (Khoresh Aloo)

Persians have mastered the art of combining meat with fruit. Coming from someone who never really cared for the two together, I can tell you that Persians do it well and this dish is a prime example.

If you're squirming from the sound of prunes and chicken in stew form, let me try to describe it to you before you decide you're gonna hate it. The base is sweet, tangy and almost candy like. The chicken combined with the slow cooked onions, and some salt + pepper provide the savory elements needed to give it the sweet/salty phenomenon (but more on the sweet side). Serve this stew on a bed of fluffy basmati rice and you've got something that will satisfy your tastebuds in a totally different way.

This recipe calls for pomegranate paste, which is a thick molasses-like paste made of pomegranate concentrate. You can find this at your local Persian grocery/specialty store.

Persian Chicken and Prune Stew (Khoresh Aloo)
- 2 cups of prunes
- 1-2 chicken breasts, cut into 2.5 inch strips (depends on how much meat you want)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups of water
- 2 Tbsp of pomegranate paste
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. In an oiled pan, saute the onions until translucent (about 2-3 minutes). Add the  chicken and saute for 3 minutes until partially cooked and lightly brown on the outside.

2. Add the water and prunes. Bring the water to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes, covered with the lid on. Add more water part way through if necessary. If the heat is too high, the water may evaporate.

3. While simmering, uncover the stew and with a spatula, mash up 1/4 of the prunes so that it helps form a thick sauce. Add 2 Tbsp of pomegranate sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and mix well. Turn off the heat and serve hot.

You can use any type of chicken you want. Feel free to use all dark meat or mix it with both white and dark. If you prefer a more meaty stew, go ahead and add more chicken to the recipe.

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Pomegranate & Jello

Let me start by telling you a little story about myself. I used to hate Jello. I've always found it a very annoying food to eat. You can't drink it, but chewing it is awkward. When eating Jello, I always felt as though I never chewed my food properly before swallowing.

But, for some reason, I never bothered telling anybody that I didn't like Jello when I was a kid. Beebs, my sister, loved it, so I pretended to love it too. As a result, we ate Jello ALL the time at home. As soon as I got old enough to refuse food without insulting my parents, I stopped eating Jello permanently...until recently that is.

I first had this awesome (and super easy) Jello dessert in Memphis at a dinner party. It is healthy and refreshing, and this is a really fun dessert to eat. I enjoy the different textures in this Jello and I love how the juices from the pomegranate burst in between my teeth each time I bite into the crunchy seeds.

Pomegranate & Jello is a Persian dessert. Traditionally, the Jello is made from scratch, but with the invention of instant Jello, there is no need to make it from scratch (unless you are making a flavor that is not available in instant form).

You can use any Jello flavor your taste buds desire. My favorite is the cherry flavor. For dinner parties, this is normally served in a big serving bowl, where the guests dig in and eat it buffet style. I decided to serve them in clear wine glasses, but you can use pretty much anything you wish.

Pomegranate & Jello
- 2 packages of instant Jello (any flavor)
- 2 cups of pomegranate seeds

Method
1. Make the Jello according to package instructions.

2. In your serving dish of choice, layer the Jello and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top until most of the surface is covered. Chill for 30 minutes. Serve cold.

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Trout Stuffed with Prunes and Pomegranate

I've never been a fan of mixing meat with fruit. I've always believed that the two should be kept separate...until I started eating Persian food, that is. This dish combines fruit with fish, and if you are one of those meat/fruit haters like I used to be, believe me when I say this dish is good!

This healthy fish dish is baked with a prune, raisin, and pomegranate sauce stuffing. The pomegranate sauce adds a nice tangy flavor, and the herbs in the sauce provide texture. My mother-in-law likes to serve this dish with a dill + fava bean rice that pairs perfectly.

Pomegranate sauce can be found in most Persian grocery stores. It is a thick paste that is made purely from pomegranate juice. The pomegranate juice is reduced to create a molasses-like texture, and the paste is very dark in color.

This recipe yields 4 - 6 servings.

Trout Stuffed with Prunes and Pomegranate
- 2 trout fillets of equal size, approx 10 inches long and 0.6 kg total
- 1 cup of curly parsley, finely chopped
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup of pomegranate sauce
- 1/2 cup of prunes & sultana raisins combined (2 parts prune + 1 part raisin), roughly chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C.

2. In a pan with some olive oil, sautee the parsley and scallions for 2 minutes. Add in the pomegranate sauce, prunes, raisins, a dash of salt + pepper, and sautee for 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a large baking dish, lay one trout fillet with skin facing down. Spread the pomegranate mixture evenly over top of the trout fillet. Place the second trout fillet on top of the mixture with skin facing up. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes. Remove from oven, remove the fish skin, and serve.

The picture below shows four trout fillets. Simply double the recipe to feed more mouths.

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