We are in the midst of autumn, even if the temperatures do not quite agree with this statement.
But regardless of heat and cold, surprising rain or scorching sun, just like the sedge that peeks everywhere and heralds the coming of autumn, the quince season has arrived and is in all its glory.
Although they are relatives of apples and pears, most quinces are hard, sour and bitter without cooking, and therefore are not eaten fresh.
Quince has a high concentration of pectin, a polysaccharide that is responsible for the strength of the fruit's cell walls, which breaks down during cooking, and plays a decisive role in the production of quince jam, the best-known use of the fruit.
Quinces, photo: Assaf Karla
But not only jams use it.
I really like to cook it with chicken and meat, with an emphasis on long cooking.
Although the quince season is short, it has a long shelf life, so you can pick (or purchase) quinces and keep them for a long time.
And despite all of the above, the public relations of the quince are not very good.
Many put it in the same group as the guava, although it does not have a spicy taste and its smell is great, so I never understood why, like it, it is also an outcast fruit.
But what can I say?
I also like guava.
Chicken in quinces, photo: Assaf Carla
Chicken with quinces
√ 5 chicken thighs
√ 2 quinces, peeled and sliced into six pieces
√ A little coarse salt
√ Pomegranate seeds (optional)
For the sauce:
√ 1 glass of white wine
√ 3 small onions cut into quarters
√ 1/2 1 cm ginger cut into sticks
√ 2 peels of musk
√ 3 cinnamon sticks
√ 1 cup chicken stock
√ 6 pods of cardamom
√ 1/2 1 spoons of honey
Chicken in quinces by Yossi Shetrit, photo: Assaf Karla
1. Fry the onion quarters, add wine until reduced.
2. Add all the other sauce ingredients and mix well.
3. Arrange the chicken legs in the pan and the quinces between them.
Sprinkle a little coarse salt on top.
4. Pour over the sauce and cover the pan with foil.
5. Bake for 40 minutes at 200 degrees.
6. Remove the foil and continue baking for another quarter of an hour to brown.
7. Before serving, sprinkle pomegranate seeds for decoration.
Stuffed quinces, photo: Assaf Karla
Stuffed quinces
√ 3/4 kg peeled quinces, cut into thin circles
For the meatballs:
√ 1/2 kg of ground beef
√ 1/2 kg of ground lamb
√ A bouquet of finely chopped cilantro
√ 2 stalks of green onion chopped
√ 1 teaspoon bhart
√ A handful of bread crumbs
√ Salt
Mix everything well into a uniform mass and roll into balls
For the sauce:
√ 2 large onions, thinly sliced
√ Olive oil
√ 1/2 cup of white wine
√ Salt
√ Ground black pepper
√ 3 cinnamon sticks
√ 1 heaped teaspoon of honey
Stuffed quinces by Yossi Shetrit, photo: Assaf Karla
1. Fry the onions in a pan in a little olive oil until golden.
2. Sprinkle half of the amount of onion in the oven dish.
Leave the other half in the pan and add the rest of the ingredients except the chicken stock.
It is added only after the wine has reduced.
3. Place a meatball in the center of a slice of quince.
Mash a little and close with another slice.
Continue until the mold is full.
4. Pour the sauce over the stuffed quinces, cover with foil and put in the oven at 200 degrees for an hour.
5. After an hour, remove the foil and continue baking uncovered for fifteen minutes until browned.
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