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My cookbook: "Tehran to New York"

On the Norouz day of 2020 spring, I finally published my book. The manuscript is titled: "Tehran to New York: A culinary bridge between Persian and Western cultures" and aims at presenting a unique blend of classic and contemporary Persian recipes, as well as samples of Western-style cuisine, offered in a Persian context. It is important to build bridges between cultures, and not walls. This book aims at constructing a bridge between the Persian and Western cultures. The book may be ordered here: https://www.amazon.com/Tehran-New-York-culinary-cultures-ebook/dp/B0861H47GS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tehran+to+new+york&qid=1584810930&sr=8-1  

Chicken Fricassee in coconut milk and saffron sauce


Presented here is an elegant, simple, and quick stew that is inspired by the timeless classic French dish, Chicken Fricassee. In Persian cuisine, spices are used in limited quantities and smaller numbers, herbs and fruits are generally the preferred seasoning elements. The presented mild sauce has saffron as its only dominant seasoning agent. Backed up by my ten-year recipe development experience, I strongly belive saffron and coconut milk form a glorious flavor profile. Saffron is a loud volume ingredient that matches well with the subtle sweetness of coconut. Therefore, coconut milk was substituted with the traditionally used heavy cream in this recipe. 

Ingredients:

2 Pounds (~900 gr or 4 large) chicken thighs

6 spring onions, only the lower half and finely chopped

1 small bunch of cilantro stems

2 bay leaves

½ Persian lime

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP flour

1 can coconut milk

Pinch of powdered saffron 

Remove the skin from the thighs and set aside. In a saucepan, add the thighs, spring onions, cilantro stems, bay leaves, and enough water to just cover the thighs. Put the pan on medium heat and poach until the meat is fully cooked. Take out the thighs and the herbs from the broth and let it reduce to half a cup.

To make the saffron cream sauce, you may optionally heat the previously removed skins in the pan and use the released Schmaltz. If you decide to do so, as soon as an equivalent of a TBSP of oil is accumulated in the pan, remove the skins (otherwise add a TBSP of butter to the pan). Toast the flour in the oil until lightly browned. Add the stock, and coconut milk and heat until the sauce is thick, covering the back of a spoon. Season with saffron and lime juice. Return the meat and let heat up. Serve with rice. 

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