Recipe

Fesenjan-e Bademjan--eggplant And Pomegranate Braise Recipe

	Raventx1 / All my dishes 2 years, 1 month ago I prefer the Asian eggplants for this recipe, well, always, actually, because I hate seedy eggplant, but if you must use the larger, Italian/Western kind, cut into pieces and soak in a container of water with 2 tbsp. salt for 20 minutes, rinse thorou... More Prep:35m Cook:25m Servings:5	Raventx1
	addicting eggplant

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Ingredients

5 Asian eggplants (2 lb.) or 2 large regular eggplants with bitterness removed**

6 tbsp. olive oil

1 med. size onion, peeled and sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 tp. gr. cumin

1/4 tsp. gr. cinnamon

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp. gr. turmeric

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 c. chopped fresh parsley

2 c. chopped cilantro leaves, (substitute with lemon basil or fresh oregano if you hate cilantro)

1/2 c. chopped fresh mint

2 c. (1/2 lb.) toasted walnuts

1/2 c. pomegranate paste diluted with 2 1/2 c. water or 3 c. pomegranate juice

1 tbsp. honey (blackberry honey is a yummy choice !) or brown sugar, as needed

for garnish

1 c. cilantro leaves, basil or parsley

1 c. pomegranate seeds (about 2 pomegranates)

fried eggplant rounds, fried cilantro or basil leaves and fried onion rings (optional)

Directions

Peel eggplants and remove stems. Salt, let sit for at least 20 minutes, rinse and squeeze out water. Slice into 1 in. thick rounds.

Heat 4 tbsp. oil in deep skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant, and saute on all sides about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove eggplants from skillet and drain on paper towels and set aside. Add remaining oil to skillet and reheat over medium heat.

Add onion and saute until golden brown (10-14 minutes). Add garlic for last few minutes of browning onions and continue cooking. add cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, turmeric, crushed red pepper, parsley, cilantro (or lemon basil or fresh oregano) and fresh mint and saute for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Grind walnuts in food processor until very fine, or else sauce will be gritty. Combine walnuts with dluted pomegranate paste and honey, as needed, and stir until sauce is smooth.

Pour sauce into skillet. Return eggplants and seasoning to skillet, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer mixture for 30 minutes or until eggplants are tender, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. If sauce is too sour, add more honey or brown sugar to taste.

Spoon onto serving dish or plates, and garnish with herb leaves and pomegranate seeds, or any combination of the optional garnishes of fried eggplant rounds or crispy onions.

Serve with couscous or rice, warm flat bread and a fresh green salad.

*NOTE

I prefer the Asian eggplants for this recipe, well, always, actually, because I hate seedy eggplant, but if you must use the larger, Italian/Western kind, cut into pieces and soak in a container of water with 2 tbsp. salt for 20 minutes, rinse thoroughly, then squeeze the water out with a towel. This part of the process is less important for the Asian eggplants than for the other kind, which are more bitter, and need to be washed and salted to take the bitterness away.With Asian eggplants, you can just let sit for 20 minutes with salt on top of them, then rinse and squeeze--the soaking is unnecessary. Remember, the more water you squeeze out of eggplant, the more room it has to absorb the sauce you are cooking in.

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