The quinces go into the pot for the last half hour, so they soften without falling apart. The stew tastes even better if you cook it a day ahead.
Ingredients
For the meat and sauce
- 1.2 kgbone-in lamb (shoulder or leg), cut into 5–6 cm pieces
- 1 tspsalt
- ½ tspground black pepper
- 45 mlvegetable oil (3 tbsp)
- 300 gonions (2 medium), cut into half-moons
- 15 ggarlic (3 cloves), finely chopped
- 30 gtomato purée (1 tbsp)
- 150 mldry red wine
- 400 mlhot water
- 1cinnamon stick
- 2bay leaves
For the quinces
- 700 gquinces (2 large)
- 500 mlcold water for the quinces
- ½lemon, juice only
- 30 gbutter
- 25 ghoney (1 heaped tbsp)
To serve
- 40 gwalnuts, roughly chopped
- 10 gfresh parsley (2 tbsp), finely chopped
You will need: a heavy-bottomed 4–5 litre pot with a lid, and a 26 cm frying pan
Method
Prepare the meat
Pat 1.2 kg of lamb dry with kitchen paper, because wet meat boils instead of searing. Season with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
Take the meat out of the fridge 20 minutes early, so it isn't cold when it goes into the pot.
Sear the meat
Heat 45 ml of oil in the pot over high heat until it shimmers. Add half the meat and leave it for 2 minutes without touching it. Then turn it for 4–5 minutes, until golden brown on all sides. Move it to a plate and repeat with the rest. Don't put too much meat in at once, because it releases water and won't brown.
Soften the onions
Turn the heat down to medium. Add 300 g of onions to the fat left from the meat and stir for 6 minutes, until soft and golden. Add 15 g of garlic and 30 g of tomato purée and stir for another minute, until the purée darkens.
Add the wine and water
Pour in 150 ml of red wine and boil it for 2 minutes over high heat. Return the meat with the juices from the plate, then add 400 ml of hot water, 1 cinnamon stick and 2 bay leaves. Cover and simmer over low heat for 60 minutes, until a fork goes into the meat easily but the meat hasn't yet come off the bone.
The liquid should come up two-thirds of the way up the meat. If there is less, add 100 ml of hot water.
Cut the quinces
While the meat simmers, rub the fuzz off 700 g of quinces with a damp cloth. Cut them into eighths and cut out the core and seeds. Pour 500 ml of cold water into a bowl, add the juice of ½ a lemon and drop the quinces in, or they will turn brown.
Quince is hard, so cut slowly. Put a damp cloth under the board so it doesn't slide.
Fry the quinces
Melt 30 g of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Pat the quinces dry and add them to the pan. Turn them for 5–6 minutes, until the edges turn golden. Add 25 g of honey and stir for 1 minute, until the pieces are coated in a shiny glaze.
Finish the stew
Put the quinces in the pot between the pieces of meat. Simmer over low heat, with the lid slightly ajar, for 30–35 minutes, until the quinces are soft but still hold their shape and the sauce thickens. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. Don't stir with a spoon; just shake the pot, so the quinces don't fall apart.
Serve
Roughly chop 40 g of walnuts and finely chop 10 g of parsley. Put a piece of meat and 2–3 pieces of quince on a plate, spoon over the sauce and sprinkle with the walnuts and parsley.
How to serve it
Serve with mashed potatoes or boiled bulgur, with a fresh cabbage and lemon salad on the side.
How to store it
The stew keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a closed container. Reheat it over low heat with 3–4 tbsp of water. In the freezer it keeps for up to 2 months, but the quinces will be softer.
What you can use instead
- Instead of quinces: 3 firm tart apples, cut into eighths. Add them for the last 15 minutes.
- Instead of red wine: 150 ml of water and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar.
- Instead of lamb shoulder: lamb shank, which cooks 20 minutes longer.
Questions and answers
The quinces are still hard after an hour. What should I do?
Quinces cook more slowly than apples. Keep going for another 15–20 minutes over low heat with the lid on, until a knife slides into a piece with no resistance.
The meat is tough. Can I fix it?
Yes. It means the meat hasn't had enough time, or the heat was too high. Put the lid back on, turn the heat down to low and cook for another 30 minutes, adding 100 ml of hot water at a time.
Can I make lamb with quince the day before?
Yes, the flavour gets fuller. Cook the stew all the way through and let it cool. The next day, reheat it over low heat with a little water.
Why is raw quince astringent, and will it stay that way?
Raw quince is astringent and hard, but slow stewing softens it and turns it sweet-and-sour. That's why you fry it first and then simmer it for at least half an hour.
Good to know
Meat with quince is known in the cuisines of the Balkans, Turkey and Iran, where lamb is stewed with quince, for example in the Persian quince and lamb stew.
Per serving (approximate): 560 kcal · protein 38 g · fat 30 g · carbohydrates 29 g