Pomegranates arrive in the autumn, in time for Rosh Hashanah, gracing the dinner table (among other symbolic foods) with their abundant seeds, symbolising fertility and charitable deeds for the year ahead. We also used pomegranates and their juice to enhance many a savoury dish. One example is Fasenjun, a Persian dish adopted by the Iraqis many moons ago and is considered an Iraqi dish today. This is best cooked a day in advance.

Method:

• Lightly toast the walnuts in a frying pan on medium heat until lightly coloured, about 8 minutes, being careful not to let them burn, then allow to cool. Once cooled, grind 200g (7oz/1½ cups) of them to a medium-fine texture and set aside.
• Roughly chop the rest of the walnuts and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a pan (wide enough to hold all the chicken pieces in a single layer) and lightly brown the chicken on all sides. Take out the chicken and set aside.
• In the same pan, sweat the onions on medium-low heat until very soft and just coloured, about 15–20 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato purée, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and cook for a minute or two.
• Add the water or stock and mix.
• Stir in the ground walnuts and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Return the chicken pieces to the pan, baste with the walnut sauce and cook, half-covered, for another 40–45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little more water if the sauce thickens too much.
• Stir in the roughly chopped walnuts, the pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and sugar or honey and simmer, half-covered, for another 25 minutes.
• Taste and adjust the sweet and sour flavour to your liking.
• The dish is now ready to serve. Garnish with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley. Serve with plain rice or saffron rice.

Note: For a deeper flavour refrigerate overnight before reheating with ½ cup of extra pomegranate juice and serving the next day. The sauce will thicken and become dark brown and honey-like.

Recipe extracted from From the Tigris to the Thames: Flavours of a Journey (Green Bean Books)