QUINCE—THE OTHER FALL FRUIT

 

Quinces center the fall fruit bowl.

Last week I touted my apple recipes for fall. But, let’s not forget that other autumnal fruit, the quince. Less widely-known, but nearly as versatile as apples, quinces are spice-scented, but not very edible in their raw stage. Their tough skins are rich in pectin, the substance that jells jellies. 

In Spain, quince—membrillo—is popular as dulce de membrillo, a thick, sliceable paste made by cooking the fruit pulp with sugar. Store-bought quince paste is a super ingredient for making quickie sauces, desserts and sorbets (see recipe links at the end of this post). Quince paste goes well with cream cheese or aged cheese, so include it on a cheese board.

Once cooked, fresh quinces add delicious fruitiness to both sweet and savory dishes. Start with a basic compote, puree it for a spiced sauce. 

Simple, unsweetened quince compote is enhanced with cinnamon and honey, served with walnuts and diced queso fresco, fresh white  goat cheese.

A very autumnal dinner--loin of wild boar with spiced quince sauce, broccoli and squash on the side, a robust Ribero del Duero tinto and even a few roasted chestnuts.

Turn the basic quince compote into a spicy quince mayonnaise to accompany fried cheese balls.

Quince Compote

Compota de Membrillo

Quince is cooked unsweetened. A drizzle of honey turns it into a sweet dessert.

Cooked quinces.

Quince has a notoriously tough and leathery skin, making it a bitch to peel. To facilitate peeling and chopping, cook the whole fruit in water for 15 minutes. Drain (save the cooking water, which is rich in pectin). When cool enough to handle, peel the quince, remove the core and chop it.

This compote, made without sugar, can be used for either sweet or savory dishes. Pureed, the compote is the starting point for the two sauces that follow.

Serves 4.

2 medium quinces (8 to 10 ounces each)

1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick

3 cardamon pods

½-inch piece of ginger

¼ lemon

Ground cinnamon, to serve

Honey, to serve

Queso fresco or yogurt, to accompany

Walnuts, to accompany

Cook the whole quinces in boiling water for 15 minutes. Peel, core and chop them. Put them to cook in water to cover (you can use the same cooking water) with the cinnamon stick, cardamom, ginger and lemon. Cook the quinces until they are soft enough to mash with a fork, about 30 minutes. Remove the quince with a slotted spoon. Discard the spices and lemon. Save the cooking water. 

Serve the quinces, warm or chilled, in dessert bowls with a little of their juice, sprinkled with ground cinnamon. Accompany with honey, cheese or yogurt, and walnuts. 

Spiced Quince Sauce 

Salsa Especiada de Membrillo

Spiced quince sauce is even better than apple sauce with pork.

Use the quince compote, above, for this fruity, spicy sweet-sour sauce. The sauce goes well with roast pork, duck, venison, turkey or, for vegetarians, a nut-grain loaf. Or, just serve it to accompany aged Manchego cheese and crackers.

1 ½ cups chopped and cooked quince 

Quince cooking liquid

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped shallots

½ -inch piece of peeled ginger, chopped

1 clove chopped garlic

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

1 clove

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

¼ cup dry Sherry

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

Flecks of spices in puree.

Puree the cooked quince with ¼ cup of the cooking liquid.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the shallots, ginger and garlic until very soft, but not browned, 8 minutes. In a mortar, crush the peppercorns and clove with the salt. Stir them into the shallots. Add the Sherry and cook off the alcohol, 1 minute. Stir in the honey and vinegar. Add the quince puree. Cook the sauce until thickened, stirring frequently, until thickened, 10 minutes. (If too thick, add additional quince water.) 

Serve the sauce hot or room temperature. 

Fried Cheese Balls with Quince Mayonnaise

Bolitas de Queso con Salsita de Membrillo

Fry cheese balls in olive oil.

These little cheese balls are an easy appetizer food. Serve them speared on picks for dipping in the quince sauce. To serve as dessert, omit the pepper and cumin and serve the cheese balls with honey and quince compote.

Quince mayonnaise.

For the sauce:

½ cup Spiced Quince Sauce (recipe above)

¼ cup mayonnaise

Mix the quince sauce and mayonnaise until smooth. Chill until serving time.

For the cheese balls:

Use any melting cheese such as Manchego, Gruyère, Cheddar. For frying, use enough oil to reach a depth of ½ inch. Moderate the heat so the cheese balls do not brown too quickly, as they need to cook all the way through. Olive oil used for frying can be strained and used again.

The cheese balls, once formed, can be frozen in one layer, then transferred to a freezer bag for storage. Allow them to defrost an hour before frying. 

Makes 20 (1-inch) balls

1 egg, lightly beaten

10 ounces grated cheese (approx. 3 ½ cups)

½ cup flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds (optional)

Olive oil for frying

Combine egg, cheese, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and cumin, if using, in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon or hands to form a smooth dough. Pinch off small pieces of the dough, compress to squeeze out air, and roll them into 1-inch balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Heat oil in a deep skillet. Add a layer of cheese balls and lower the heat to medium. Fry the balls, turning frequently, until they are browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove with a skimmer and drain them on paper towels.

Serve the cheese balls immediately with the quince-mayonnaise sauce.

More recipes with quince:

Fried Goat Cheese with Quince Sauce.

Braised Lamb with Quince.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Quince.

Quince Sorbet.

Quince Jelly.

Quince Olive Oil Cake.

AN APPLE TIME OF YEAR

 

While summer temperatures have lingered way into October in much of Spain, the produce in the markets announces that autumn has arrived. Apples--their scent, their colors, the sweetness--are the pregoneros, or heralds, of the season. 

Spain occupies a middling position in European production of apples. Poland is far and away the market leader with Italy and France a distant second and third. Although Asturias is famous for its more than 250 varieties of apples and the cider made from them, the region is way down at the bottom of the list of commercial apple growers in Spain. The province of Lleida in Catalonia is the biggest producer. 

To enjoy the season, here is a round-up of recipes that use apples, from salad and soup to fish and chops to, yes, desserts.

Colorful Waldorf salad with apples and beets.

Waldorf Salad with Apples and Beets (Ensalada de Manzanas y Remolacha). This is a colorful interpretation of that old favorite, Waldorf salad. There are two ways to go with this salad--either keep the beets separate from the apple and celery mix, then layer the salad, or go ahead and mix everything together, letting the red beets turn the apples pink. Either way, it’s a colorful addition to the autumn table. The recipe, along with more colorful autumnal salads, is at Four Salads for Fall.

Smooth pumpkin soup, crisp apples to garnish.

Pumpkin Soup with Apple (Sopa de Calabaza con Manzana). This soup makes an elegant starter for a holiday dinner. The apple is in the garnish, but you could cook it with the soup as well. You can change this soup by swapping the finishing touches. Add color with a swirl of red pepper puree. Add texture with pomegranate seeds or toasted almonds. Make it richer with a dollop of Greek yogurt or cream. Turn it into a delightful vegetarian main-course meal by adding cooked brown rice and grated cheese. Get the pumpkin soup recipe here.

Apples with vegetables, pine nuts on top.

Vegetable Medley (Alboronía). This is a Sevilla version of a very traditional dish of stewed eggplant with squash, with the unusual addition of chopped apples. It would make a fine side dish with roast meat or poultry or, finished in the oven with eggs and pine nuts, a superb vegetarian entrée. The recipe for this vegetable dish is here.

No actual apples--cider in the sauce.

Hake in Apple Cider Sauce (Merluza con Sidra). Apple cider from Asturias can be used in cooking exactly as white wine. It’s tangy and dry, perfect with fish. Besides hake, try it with salmon. Use cider also in beef stew or braised chicken. Try a pan of chorizo baked with cider. More about cider and the hake recipe at Intro to Cooking with Cider.

Chopped apples, apricots, nuts in the stuffing.

Roast Chicken with Pork-Apple-Pine Nut Stuffing (Pollo Asado Relleno con Carne y Frutos Secos). This is a Catalan stuffing recipe, with ground pork or sausage, dried fruits and nuts as well as apple, to stuff a good-sized bird—at least 5 pounds. Medium-dry Sherry adds subtle background flavor to the stuffing and the pan juices. Get the recipe Stuff a Chicken Right Now.

Medium Sherry creates the sauce for pork chops with apple slices.

Pork Chops with Apples and Sherry (Chuletas de Cerdo con Manzana y Oloroso Seco)

Thick-cut ibérico pork chops are seared then finished in a covered pan with sliced apples. Medium Sherry to deglaze the pan creates a delicious sauce. Get the pork chop recipe here.

Baked apple with sweet wine, nuts, and figs.

Stuffed Apples Baked with Málaga Wine (Manzanas Asadas con Vino Málaga). The cored apples are stuffed with walnuts and figs, then baked in raisiny Málaga wine. Use any favorite apple variety. Firm Granny Smith apples keep their shape best. Fujis add a spicy touch. The baked apples are good served with a dollop of creamy Greek yogurt. The recipe for baked apples is on this site, Málaga Wine is a Sweet Secret.

Cake with apples and raisins.

Apple Cake with Honey-Wine Syrup (Biscocho de Manzana con Sirope de Miel). Apples, raisins, a bit of sweet Málaga wine plus sweet spices such as cinnamon and allspice make a sugar-free cake that is delightfully sweet. A pouring syrup of honey and sweet wine accompanies the cake. The recipes for the cake and syrup are here.

Apple crumble made with olive oil, almonds.

Apple-Almond Olive Oil Crumble (Crumble con Manzanas y Almendras). The crumbly topping for sweet apples is made with almonds, oats and olive oil. So good with scoops of cinnamon ice cream! The recipe for apple crumble is at Baking with Olive Oil.

Apple Tart with raisins, pine nuts and honey glaze.

Apple Tart (Tarta de Manzana). Last week a Málaga pastry shop, Daza, won the apple tart competition at San Sebastian Gastronomika, Spain’s top professional event. The winning tart has an all-butter puff pastry, a creamy, vanilla-infused pastry cream and caramelized apples on top. (The recipe for the winning tart is here.) My rendition might not win any prizes, but is quick and easy to put together. Packaged puff pastry (hojaldre) needs no rolling out. The cinnamon-infused pastry cream can be made a day in advance, so the tart comes together in the time it takes to slice the apples. My apple tart recipe is at this site Pop This Tart in the Oven.

ECONOMY-CLASS LAMB

 

Chunks of lamb neck with a rich gravy, slow-cooked until they are fork-tender, garnished with fried almonds.

Hey, the lamb necks are on sale! This is meat full of flavor, priced way below the expensive leg, shoulder and chops. It’s the perfect excuse for an old-fashioned caldereta, a shepherd’s style lamb stew. 

In fact, the stew can be made with lamb of any cut—tiny baby lamb (cordero lechal) hacked into small pieces, boned leg of spring lamb (recental), the neck, ribs, even the lamb’s head. From luxury-class to economy.

The gravy for this stew is thickened with a majado, or “mash,” of fried bread and lamb liver. (You can use chicken livers instead of lambs’, three of them equal about four ounces.) If liver is not available, use twice the quantity of bread. The mash can be made in a mortar or in a blender.

Vegetables can be added to the caldereta, if desired. A shepherd in the field might add wild mushrooms, artichokes, or asparagus. Spinach and chard are good. Peas are perfunctory. Tiny onions would add class.

This lamb neck braise with its chunky bones is perfect for a family meal, where you can comfortably chew the meat off the bones. Hasta chupar los dedos! Which means, more or less, finger-licking good! (Paper napkins, too.)

Because pomegranates are in season, I have garnished the stew with those pretty red kernels.

Spanish style, this stew is served with patatas fritas, fries. Rice or cous cous also make good sides. And, of course, bread for mopping up the gravy.

The lamb stew has onions and carrots, but other vegetables can be added.

Red pomegranate arils give the plate a pot.

Shepherds’ Lamb Stew

Caldereta de Cordero al Pastor

If using bone-in pieces of neck, allow at least 3 pounds of meat for 4 servings. For boneless lamb, 2 pounds is sufficient. 

Serves 4.

3 pounds lamb neck, cut in pieces

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

4 ounces lamb or chicken liver, cut in pieces

5 cloves peeled garlic

1 slice bread, crusts removed

1 large onion, cut in julienne

3 peeled carrots

1 cup white wine

5 cups water or stock

10 peppercorns

Pinch of saffron (optional)

Sprigs of thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon vinegar

Chopped parsley or mint, to serve

Pomegranate arils to garnish (optional)

Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper and let it come to room temperature.

Heat the oil in a pot and fry the almonds until they are golden. Skim them out and reserve for garnishing the stew.

Fried meat, liver, garlic, bread.

Add the pieces of liver, garlics and bread to the oil. Fry them until golden on both sides. Skim them out and reserve.

Add the pieces of lamb and fry them on medium until browned on all sides. Remove the meat.

Add the onions and brown them very slowly, without letting them burn, about 8 minutes. Add the carrots and the wine. Cook off the alcohol, 2 minutes. Add the water. Return the pieces of lamb to the stew pot. Add peppercorns, saffron, if using, thyme, and bay leaves. Simmer the stew 30 minutes.

Braise lamb until fork-tender.

While the lamb is cooking, place the fried liver, garlics and bread in a blender. Ladle 1 cup of the liquid from the stew pot over them. Blend to make a smooth paste.

Turn the pieces of lamb in the pot. Remove the carrots. Stir the paste from the blender into the pot. Continue cooking until lamb is fork-tender, 30 to 45 minutes more. Stir vinegar in at the end of cooking time. If the gravy seems too thick, stir in additional water. Slice the carrots and return them to the stew.

Serve the stew garnished with the fried almonds, chopped parsley and pomegranate, if desired.

More braised lamb recipes:

Braised Lamb Shanks with Prunes.

Lamb and Bean Stew.

Lamb Stew with Red Peppers (Chilindrón).

Lamb Stew with Four Kinds of Red Peppers.

A THREE-INGREDIENT RECIPE

 

Huevos Rotos are fried eggs mixed up with fried potatoes. Here they are served with accompaniments of, clockwise from the top, mushrooms, olives, bread, chorizo, serrano ham, fried peppers and cherry tomatoes.

Fry potatoes in olive oil. Fry eggs in olive oil. Mix them together. Three ingredients, not too much time in the kitchen and the result is a sublime dish for breakfast, brunch, lunch, tapa or supper. 

This is huevos rotos con patatas—broken eggs with potatoes—probably made by many an abuela (granny), but made famous by Lucio Blásquez at Casa Lucio, his restaurant and tavern in Madrid. Tom Cruise, Julio Iglesias, Eva Longoria, Pierce Brosnan and Arnold Schwarzenegger are just a few of the celebrities who have eaten huevos rotos at Casa Lucio. I’ve eaten huevos rotos at Casa Lucio!

Three basic ingredients plus salt and pepper and optional garlic are all that’s required. The eggs and potatoes can be served with accompaniments such as chorizo, fried Padrón peppers, ham, or, turning the simple into a luxury, truffles. Extra virgin olive oil is essential; the oil is what gives the dish its luxuriant mouth feel and flavor. 

The technique is in the timing. Fry the potatoes until they are completely tender but not breaking into pieces. Don’t let them brown. Fry the eggs in enough oil so they float. Take them out while yolks are still runny. The eggs will keep cooking from residual heat, so place them immediately on top of the potatoes. Use two forks to break up the eggs so that the yolks mix with the potatoes. 

Cut potatoes as for fries. Fry them in extra virgin olive oil.

Fry eggs in olive oil. Keep the yolks runny.

Immediately place fried eggs on fried potatoes.

Have accompaniments ready. 

Break up the eggs so the yolks mix with the potatoes.

Mix the eggs and potatoes gently. Serve immediately. 

A perfect lunch or supper!

Fried Eggs with Fried Potatoes

Huevos Rotos con Patatas

Use any variety of potato good for frying (such as Agria or Kennebec). Cut the potatoes as for thick fries, about ¼-inch thick. Or, slice them thinly. Or, cut into cubes. Try to cut them all the same so they cook at the same rate. Soak the cut potatoes in water to cover for 30 minutes (or longer). Drain well and dry in a clean kitchen towel. 

Heat abundant olive oil—almost enough to cover the potatoes—in a large frying pan on high. Add the potatoes to the pan, carefully turn them in the oil and turn the heat down to medium. Fry the potatoes until they are tender (sample one to test), but without letting them brown or crisp. Turn them minimally, so that they do not break up as they become tender. Potatoes will take about 10 minutes. Turn the heat to high for about one minute more, so the potatoes turn golden, not brown. If potatoes get crisp, they will not soak up the delicious egg yolks.

Use a skimmer to lift the potatoes out of the oil into a strainer set over a bowl or onto paper towel-lined bowl. 

I used three eggs for 2 pounds of potatoes--enough for two people. However, we agreed that four eggs for this quantity of potatoes make a better mix, saucier potatoes. 

Three ingredients, garlic optional.

Serves 2, 3, or 4.

2 pounds potatoes

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic (optional), unpeeled

Salt

3 to 6 eggs 

Freshly ground black pepper

To accompany:

Sliced and fried chorizo

Sautéed mushrooms

Fried green peppers

Grilled shrimp

Thinly sliced serrano or ibérico ham

Olives

Sliced tomatoes

Truffles

Peel the potatoes and cut them in strips, about ¼ inch wide. Place them in a bowl and cover with water. Let the potatoes soak 30 minutes. Drain and pat them dry in a kitchen towel.

Heat the oil on high in a large frying pan. If using garlic, crush the unpeeled cloves lightly and add to the oil. When they are sizzling, add the potatoes. Use a large wooden paddle or spatula to turn the potatoes in the hot oil. Turn the heat down to medium and continue frying the potatoes, carefully turning them once or twice, until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain off excess oil from the potatoes in a strainer set over a bowl or in a bowl lined with paper towels. Salt the potatoes lightly. Place them in a serving bowl or platter.

Fry eggs, one or two at a time, in remaining oil until whites are set and yolks still runny. They will continue to cook from residual heat. Place the eggs on top of the potatoes. Use two forks to break up the eggs and mix with the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

These are Italian frying peppers, not Padrón. To fry them, cut a slit in the tip. Fry in olive oil until they are blistered, browned and limp. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.

Slice chorizo and fry in a little oil.

Sauté sliced mushrooms with sliced garlic, strips of red bell pepper, a tiny guindilla, hot chile.

Don't forget to serve the Huevos Rotos with bread!

Another three-ingredient recipe: Chicken with Tomato (Pollo con Tomate).

Three-ingredient recipes by Rozanne Gold.