SWEET, TART, EARTHY AND RICH, this beautiful celebratory Persian dish originated thousands of years ago in the Iranian province of Gilan on the Caspian Sea. Today you will often see it as a stew with chicken, but the sweet-sour sauce is exceptional with game birds. Here, we have elevated the dish by serving it with spice-glazed quail—a gorgeous presentation that will make an exotic addition to your autumn feasts.

If you are part of a hunt club, you will have easy local access to fresh quail, but another reliable source for the birds is New Jersey-based D’Artagnan Foods (dartagnan.com), which ships fresh, free-range quail overnight.

A few notes on the recipe: pomegranate walnut sauce is the delicious star of this dish. It features pomegranate molasses, a tart, thick syrup that is easily sourced in the international foods aisle of many markets or at any of the Chicago area’s Middle Eastern groceries. There you will also find the pomegranates, pomegranate juice, and spices in the recipe. For the walnuts, removing the pellicle—the tannin-laden membrane covering the meat of each nut, yields a more mellow nut flavor. This is easily accomplished by rubbing the walnuts in clean kitchen towels after toasting. For the chicken stock, it is best to use a low-sodium version because the flavors will intensify during simmering, and you do not want the result to be over-salted.

Persian Quail with Pomegranate Walnut Sauce (Fesenjan)

Serves 4

For the marinade:

• 4 fresh quail, each halved lengthwise
• Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon, to make 2 tablespoons
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced and crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, ground fine
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

For the pomegranate walnut sauce:

• 8 ounces shelled walnuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, ground fine
• 2/3 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 2/3 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup pure cane sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 3/4 cups homemade or high-quality low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Fresh-squeezed lemon juice, to taste

For the glaze:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds, coarsely ground

For the garnish:

• Arils of one fresh pomegranate
• 1/4 cup of the toasted walnuts

Make the marinade:

In a large, non-reactive bowl, combine the lemon juice and garlic. In a coffee or spice mill, pulse cardamom seeds into powder. Add cardamom, cinnamon, and turmeric to the lemon/garlic mixture. Place the quail, which you have halved lengthwise (each piece will have a leg and wing, and half of a breast) into the marinade and massage the quail with marinade to ensure all pieces are coated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.

Make the pomegranate walnut sauce:

With the oven rack at center position, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cover with the walnuts, evenly spread. Toast walnuts for about 7 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Lift parchment paper with walnuts from tray and pour onto a clean kitchen towel. Rub the walnuts with the towel to remove as much of the pellicle (skin membrane) of the walnuts as possible. Repeat again with a clean towel. Chop the cleaned toasted nuts to medium fine with a nut grinder, food processor, or sharp kitchen knife. The nut pieces should not be chopped too finely. Remove ¼ cup of the chopped nuts to a small bowl and set aside to garnish the finished dish.

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, add the olive oil and chopped onion and cook slowly for three minutes. Once the onion begins to be translucent, add 1/4 cup water and continue cooking until the onion is very soft and the water has evaporated. Stir in the spices and tomato paste and cook for another two minutes. Add the toasted, chopped walnuts, pomegranate molasses and juice, sugar, bay leaf, and chicken stock. Stir well. Increase heat to medium-high and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick. Just before serving, stir in a little fresh lemon juice to suit your taste.

Make the glaze:

While the Pomegranate Walnut sauce is simmering, prepare the glaze. Combine olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and honey in small heat-proof bowl. Add boiling water and stir to dissolve. In a coffee or spice mill, pulse cardamom seeds just until coarsely ground. Stir cardamom, salt, and pepper into the liquid.

Grill Quail:

Heat a charcoal grill over high heat. Remove quail pieces from marinade. Grill skin-side up for 3 to 4 minutes. Brush with glaze. Flip quail skin-side down for a scant 2 minutes to finish cooking and add grill marks. Remove quail from grill and keep warm.

Assemble:

For each serving, spoon a generous portion of the pomegranate walnut sauce onto each plate. Center two quail halves on the sauce. Sprinkle quail with pomegranate arils and a bit of chopped toasted walnut.

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