Fesenjan is a famous Persian sauce for rice with stewed duck. I love the sauce, which has a special sweet-and-sour flavor from pomegranate molasses (rob-e nar), but I don’t like stewed duck, so I roast the duck instead.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 duck, weighing about 5 pounds

　　3 tablespoons vegetable oil

　　Salt and pepper

　　2 large onions, chopped

　　1 1/2 cups walnuts, finely chopped

　　4 tablespoons sour-pomegranate syrup (molasses or concentrate)

　　1–2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

　　1 cup chicken stock (page 143) (or you may use 1/2 bouillon cube)

　　

Step 1

Rub the duck with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Prick the skin with a fork in several places so that the melted fat can ooze out. Put it breast side down on a rack in a baking dish in a preheated 400°F oven. Cook for about 2 hours, until the skin is crisp and brown and the flesh still juicy, turning the duck over so that it is breast side up after an hour. If you don’t have a rack, you can lay the duck straight in the dish, but you must pour out the fat as it is released—at least twice.

　　

Step 2

For the sauce, in a pan fry the onions in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add the walnuts and stir for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the pomegranate syrup and the sugar, and pour in the stock. Stir well, and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the sauce is thick.

　　

Step 3

Carve the duck and serve the pieces on plain rice. Pour the sauce on top.

　　The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Copyright © 2000Knopf