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).

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　2 large quinces (each weighing about 1 pound)

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

　　3 tablespoons pine nuts

　　7 ounces lean ground lamb or beef

　　1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

　　Salt and black pepper

　　

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.

　　Arabesque