Khoresh de Karafs (Celery Stew)

Ingredients

• •1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, lamb or beef, cut into ½ inch squares
• •2 cups celery stalk, cut into ½ to ¾ inch pieces
• •1 cup dried parsley
• •1/2 medium onion, chopped
• •2 teaspoons tomato paste
• •3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• •2 1/2 tablespoon dried mint
• •2 tablespoons dried lemon powder, or 1/3 cup lemon juice
• •1 tablespoon salt
• •1 teaspoon turmeric
• •1/2 teaspoon pepper
• •4 cups water

Directions

1. 1Brown the onion in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium to high heat. Add chicken squares and brown.
2. 2When the chicken has lost its pink color, add turmeric, salt, pepper, dried lemon, and 2 cups water, or until the water barely covers the chicken. Bring the chicken to a mild boil. Afterwards, add tomato paste and reduce the heat to low. Cover the chicken and cook, while stirring occasionally. Add more water if the liquid from the stew doesn’t cover at least half of the meat.
3. 3After the chicken has been cooking for 40 minutes in a 10-inch frying pan, brown the celery in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
4. 4(If you are not using a nonstick pan, you may have to add a little more oil.) Keep the heat on high until the oil is hot. Afterwards, turn the heat down to medium and stir often.
5. 5When the celery is a little browned, remove it with a slotted spoon and place it directly into the chicken stew.
6. 6Immediately add the parsley and mint and sauté over medium heat. If you are not using a nonstick pan, you may have to add more oil. If you are using a nonstick pan, stir herb mixture. Some of it will look very dry. That’s okay, just stir it in with the moistened part. It should become moist very quickly. If it doesn’t, add just a drop of vegetable oil.
7. 7Stir almost constantly until the herbs seem almost burnt. Then add the herb mixture to the stew. If you’ve cooked the herbs to perfection, they will sizzle as you add them to the stew. If they don’t, just cook them about 15 minutes longer.
8. 8If you haven’t already done so, add the celery. Then add approximately 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. The water should almost, but not quite,
9. 9Cover the chicken and celery. Taste. If you need to, add more lemon, salt, or pepper.
10. 10Cook for about 30 minutes after adding herb mixture and the celery. You cannot overcook or undercook the stew at this point, but it tastes best if you let the herb mixture cook into the chicken.