This is truly exquisite. Quinces are now available for quite a long period in Middle Eastern and Asian stores. In this recipe, the fruits are stuffed with a meat filling and served hot. Quinces are hard and take a long time to cook in the oven before you can cut them up and stuff them, but you can do this in advance—even the day before. I used very large quinces because those were the ones available at the time, but you can use 4 smaller ones, in which case the baking time will be less. Serve hot with rice pilaf (page 193) or rice with chickpeas (Variation page 193).
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Wash the quinces and rub off the light down that covers their skin in patches. Put them on a piece of foil on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 325° F for 1 to 2 hours (the time varies considerably), until they feel soft when you press them.
Step 2
For the stuffing, fry the onion in the oil until soft. Add the pine nuts and stir, turning them over, until golden. Put the ground meat in a bowl and add the cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper. Mix and work well to a smooth paste with your hands. Add the fried onions and pine nuts and work them into the paste.
Step 3
When the quinces are cool enough to handle, cut them open lengthwise through the stem end. Remove the cores with a pointed knife and discard them. With a pointed spoon, scoop out about one-third of the pulp and mix it into the meat mixture. Heap a quarter of this mixture into each quince half and press it down.
Step 4
Return the 4 stuffed quince halves to the baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
