Quince are harvested here in Australia from April to May but can keep in the fridge for up to three months. Quinces are often made into a jelly, paste or sweet desserts but it was from Dimitri who I met in Queensland a few months ago that I got a savoury beef recipeidea for them. I had such success with his lazy housewife's moussaka that I decided to give the quinces a go in the other recipe he gave me, beef and quince with red sauce.
It was actually his description at the end that did it. He described the recipe as "You should have a meal where the meat is tender with a lovely thick red sauce with your potatoes or quince fruit." Doesn't that sound absolutely, insanely luscious? I read the recipe - it seemed simple, actually truth be told perhaps too simple so I only made half a batch of this lest it not work out. I shouldn't have worried. Yes it is easy but it is also wonderfully comforting and full of flavour. The sauce cooks down so that it is beautifully thick but not dry, the beef is so tender and the quinces take only a short time until they too blend into the rubied stew with the soft chunks of melting beef.
A quince is a fruit that you see around the Autumn Winter season and I saw some for $2.49 a kilo so I grabbed them eagerly. They're a great fruit but they can only be eaten when cooked and the skin contains a lot of pectin which is why it is great for jellies and pastes.
A few readers have asked me how the exercise sessions are going with my personal trainer. For the most part they're actually quite fun (I promise that I haven't been drinking) and for the first time during winter I haven't gained any weight which is somewhat of a major miracle. It's not for lack of trying. Every night I sit down to a cup of hot chocolate and a warming meal. But my thrice weekly workouts with my trainer Nina are hard and I often complain the whole time about wanting to go to sleep on the mat that she brings but she won't have a bar of it. "Push!!" she says to me sweetly but firmly.
I am trying to lure her to the dark side though. She told me that she wasn't much of a cook so I've been sending her recipes to make and so far, she's made a success of most of them including her biggest triumph, a flourless chocolate cake. Sometimes she forgets to adjust quantities to suit the amount of items that she has and sometimes I do have to explain some ingredients to her. One day she asked me what I was cooking and I told her that it was a beef and quince stew.
"Oh is that like a bird?" she asked unsure about the quince. I had to giggle, I think she mistook it for quail which was very cute.
So tell me Dear Reader, are you glad that winter is almost over?
Did you make this recipe? Share your creations by tagging @notquitenigella on Instagram with the hashtag #notquitenigella
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Print Recipe
Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2-2.5 hours
1 kg/2.1 lbs. casserole beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
800g/28 oz tin chopped tomatoes
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
2 cups vegetable stock
4 quinces
Step 1 - Cut the beef into small pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast iron pot with the oil and brown the beef in two batches. Place all of the beef back in the pot and add the tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, cloves and vegetable stock and place the lid on and simmer for one and a half to two hours, stirring occasionally (okay that's a lie, I left it simmering and didn't stir it and it was fine).
Step 2 - Peel and core the quinces and cut them into a similar size to the beef. Place in the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the quince is tender but not mushy.
Note: this can also be done with lamb instead of beef and you can also use potatoes or sweet potatoes (just add a teaspoon of sugar if you're using potatoes).
Peel the quince, then cut into quarters. (Some cooks leave the skin on; I do as well if I'm making jam or mebrillo where it will just melt into the cooked mixture.) Carefully remove all of the tough core from each quarter with a knife. The quince sections can now be used to make poached quince, quince jam…or frozen.
Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.
The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.
Chuck. Chuck is one of the leaner types of beef, making it perfect for stews because it melts into delicious pieces as it cooks. A chuck roast has a large amount of connective tissue, which allows it to retain its moisture during the cooking process.
Poaching quince in liquid with sugar is the best way to bring them into their finest. They need some added sweetness, and this also is a two-for-one deal, because you not only get beautifully cooked fruit but an aromatic syrup, too, that is good for many things around the kitchen.
Quinces combine well with apples and pears, as well as almonds, oranges and ginger. Poaching is perhaps the best way to bring out the full flavour and velvety texture; try poaching them in pomegranate juice to give a stunning purple colour.
But the liquid itself should not be thick in the same way that gravy is thick. So skip the roux, and don't bother dusting the meat with flour or cornstarch before browning, either, as some recipes will suggest. That will just interfere with getting a good sear on the meat, and gum up the stew with unneeded starch.
Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.
The best potatoes for beef stew are those that hold their shape and texture well during cooking, providing a creamy yet sturdy addition to the dish. Yukon Golds have a creamy texture and slightly waxy consistency that holds up well in stews without becoming overly mushy. They add a nice richness to the stew.
Although I added carrots, little red potatoes, rutabaga and cremini mushrooms, you have plenty of options. Parsnip, turnip, pearl onions, squash and fennel will also work. Stir them in gently and immediately return the pot to the oven for the final hour of cooking.
Now if your meat is tough after the stewing process, then there's a few things that might have gone wrong. Two options really, either it is really a poor cut of beef, or more likely it hasn't been cooked for long enough. Usually 3 hours in the oven in a casserole dish at 180C/350F should make any cut of beef tender.
I cook them with the skin on to maximise the pectin | Beautiful pale golden quince puree! Apparently the pectin content is highest in the skin, so I am going to leave the skin on to make my quince paste. I cut, core and chop the four quinces, and simmer in a pot of water for about 45 minutes until it is very soft.
Quince can be eaten raw or cooked. People enjoy quince fruit with or without the skin. Quince seeds need to be removed before eating. Quinces are commonly used in jams, jellies, and marmalades.
I spent years struggling with them until I discovered if you place them on a lined baking tray (still whole and washed) and roast them in an oven preheated to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) for about 20 minutes they soften enough to make peeling and cutting so much easier... and then you can get on with your recipe!
Despite that chore, you'll want to always remove the peel and core before cooking, and then you can roast, stew, puree, jelly, poach, bake or grill them to your heart's content. You can peel it with a regular vegetable peeler, as well. Cut the peeled fruit in half, then in quarters, and cut away the center core.
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Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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