Chicken Faisinjan - The Garden Gurus

Chicken FaisinjanToday we have a real treat in store for you! It’s a Middle Eastern dish called Faisinjanand features two very special ingredients. The first special ingredient is the pomegranatejuice. Autumn is the season to harvest this luscious fruit.The second special ingredient we are using is Mount Barker’s free-range chicken meat.This is a chemical-free meat, but for me the big deal is the flavour enhancement thatcomes from letting the chickens forage and feed naturally.Where would you find the best of fresh ingredients like these? At Herdsman FreshEssentials in Churchlands, they’ve got more exotic fruit than you could eat in a week ofSundays and the meat at Creative Butchers is a constant temptation.I’ve already started browning the chicken pieces and I do the same to the onion next.To maximise the juice from a pomegranate, roll the fruit on a hard surface, then squeezethe lovely sweet juice into a cup. I will need half a cupful. The colour is dazzling andbelieve me, the taste is luscious.Pomegranate is an ornamental deciduous small tree, ideal for courtyard gardens. Theyalso produce these stunning red fruits.Add the juice, crushed walnuts, chicken stock, lemon juice and sugar and stir till thisbecomes a sauce and thickens. Return the chicken cover and cook for a further half anhour. I would serve this on fragrant saffron rice.Salads add real freshness to cooked meals. So I’m making a traditional Italian tomatosalad to accompany the Faisinjan.A marvellous new tomato from Perfection Fresh called grape tomato, which also comesin a gold variation, must be tried! They look good on the plate, but wait till you tastethem, as the flavour is particularly rich. I reckon the flavour is as good as the best homegrown Grosse Lisse type.Over a bed of sliced red salad onion, these will look terrific. A sprinkle of sea salt, somefresh chopped basil, a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a few drops ofBalsamic Vinegar, and you have a ripper salad that is a real Mediterranean complementto the main course.

Faisinjan ChickenIngredients4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin olive oil1 Mt Barker free-range chicken cut into serving pieces1 large onion finely chopped1 cup of ground walnuts1/2 cup pomegranate juice2 teaspoons lemon juice2 cups of chicken stock1 teaspoon sugar2 cups Jasmin riceA few grains of true saffronDirectionsIn a frying pan heat extra virgin olive oil and add chicken cut into servingpieces. Brown chicken then remove to a warm platter. Add finely choppedonion to the pan and sauté until soft and golden. Add pomegranate juice, stir inground walnuts, lemon juice, chicken stock and a teaspoon sugar. Cook,stirring until sauce thickens, and season to taste. Return chicken pieces to thepan, simmer gently, covered for 1/2 hour. Serve with plain or saffron rice.Makes 4 servings.Italian Tomato SaladIngredients2 punnets Perfection Fresh Grape Tomatoes, 1 gold and 1 red1 red salad onionFresh basil leavesOlio Bello olive oilA splash of balsamic vinegar