Lamb and Quince Tagine

I had some quince from our CSA and didn’t have a clue as to what to do with them.

Luckily at that moment, I saw a Facebook photo from Serge at Serevan.

It was a box of beautiful quince, so I asked what to do with them.

There were a bunch of great ideas.

My favorite was a lamb and quince tagine.

Turns out it’s a very popular Middle Eastern dish.

This is my version of it. Probably serves 4.

For the lamb:

2 pounds lean boneless lamb shoulder cut into 1’ pieces
3 medium red onions, peeled; 1 grated, 2 finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¹â„₂ teaspoon hot paprika
2 tablespoons. finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
18 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
Salt
¹â„₄ cup tomato paste
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (more or less to taste)
¹â„₂ teaspoon ground cumin

For the quince:

3 fresh quinces
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
¹â„₄ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch saffron threads

In a large pot over medium heat, stir lamb, grated onion, olive oil, saffron, ginger, paprika, cilantro, parsley, garlic, and 1½ tsp. salt in large pot over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Add tomato paste and 1 cup water; raise heat, and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, turning meat occasionally. Add chopped onions, jalapeño, and cumin, and simmer 45 minutes more.

While the lamb is cooking, cut each quince into 6 pieces (skin on) and cut away core. In a skillet over medium heat poach the quince in 4 cups simmering, salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Pour off all but 2-3 tbsp. poaching liquid; add butter, sugar, and cinnamon.

Cook quinces flesh-side-down until glazed brown, about 20 minutes. Turn, and glaze 5 minutes more.

Serve the lamb garnished with the quince and enjoy!

My verdict:

Made a fan out of me! I made extra quince since I had a bunch of them. Used some for the lamb and saved the rest for a future tagine. They’d be good with pork or maybe even chicken-could even be dessert topping for ice cream or accompany cheeses.

The tagine comes together easily, and since as usual there wasn’t any parsley chez moi, it was left out. I served everything over couscous with some harissa for those who like it hotter.

Have you made anything with quince?

Lamb and Quince Tagine