Iran Invades Your Kitchen

TEHRAN, Iran March 7, 2008 — -- Pomegranates are a favorite native fruit of the Near East and feature prominently in Iranian cooking. To seed a pomegranate, cut it in half, hold each half seed-side down over a bowl and tap the skin with a heavy spatula to dislodge the seeds.

Recipes from homemade Iranian collections as told to ABC News and from N. Batmanglij's "From Persia to Napa" cookbook.

1 - CHICKEN WITH PLUM & POMEGRANATEPersian Name: Morghe Nadroon & Aloo Pahloo

Ingredients:2 cups of pomegranate juice or seeds of 1 medium-sized pomegranate Some dried plums – amount as desired1 chicken with skin removed1 medium-sized chopped onion2 cloves of garlic1 teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon black pepper½ teaspoon turmeric

Directions:Soak the plums in fresh water one hour before starting cooking. Place the chicken in a dish and combine with the chopped onion and garlic, then add the plums, pomegranate juice or seeds, salt, black pepper and turmeric. Finally, put the dish on heat to boil slowly for approximately one hour. This recipe comes from the northern Mazandaran province of Iran.

2 - POMEGRANITE & PISTACHIO MEATBALLSPersian Name: Kufteh-ye anar-o pesteh

Ingredients:1 small onion, peeled and cut into 41 ½ cups pistachios or hazelnuts, shelled½ cup bread crumbs1 ½ cups chopped fresh parsley½ cup chopped fresh tarragon1 tablespoon fresh lime juice1 teaspoon red pepper flakes1 teaspoon freshly groundblack pepper1 tablespoon ground cumin2 teaspoons coarse salt2 pounds ground, lamb or chicken thighs or fish fillet (boned and skinned)1 egg

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Glaze:½ cup pomegranate paste¾ cup honey or grape molasses1 cup Pinot Noir wine1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Garnish:One package of baby basil, sprouts, mint or radishes¼ cup fresh pomegranate arils

Variation:To make meatball lollipops, wrap the meat paste for each meatball around the end of 4-inch cinnamon sticks.

Directions: Pulse all the ingredients except the meat and egg in a food processor until you have a grainy paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the meat and egg. Lightly knead with your hands for a few minutes (do not over mix). Cover and place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Generously grease a wide, non-reactive baking dish and set aside. Remove the paste from the refrigerator and shape into bite-sized balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each). Place the meatballs in the baking dish and brush well with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the glaze. Reduce the oven to 400°F. Glaze the meatballs and bake for another 5 minutes to infuse them with the flavor of the wine. Reduce oven temperature to very low (140°C). Adjust seasoning to taste. If too sour add more honey; if too sweet add more pomegranate paste. Keep warm in the oven or a chafing dish until ready to serve.