Recipe: Lamb and Quince Tagine

Today on Good Food, Evan interviews Barbara Ghazarian, the author of Simply Quince. Barbara’s book offers a number of recipes from salad to dessert and everything in between. Her recipe for Lamb and Quince Tagine is below…

Quince and Lamb Tagine

Ingredients

1 yellow onion

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp turmeric

pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 pound boneless lamb, fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch squares

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 14 1/2 oz can peeled, diced tomatoes

3 cups water

1 pound fresh quince, peels left on, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup red lentils, washed and picked of debris

juice of 1 lemon

chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions

1. Saute the onion in the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until tender and golden, about 8 minutes.

2. Lower the heat and stir in the cinnamon, allspice, cloves, turmeric and cayenne. Stir in the tomato paste and mix thoroughly; then add the lamb, salt, black pepper, and tomatoes. Raise the heat to medium-high and allow the mixture to bubble for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the water, bring the stew back to a boil, and then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Add the quince, sugar, lentils and lemon juice. Mix well. Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the meat and quince pieces are tender and the sauce has thickened. Adjust the sugar and seasonings to taste. Simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the meat and quince pieces are tender and the sauce has thickened. Adjust the sugar and seasonings to taste.

5. Serve hot over a bed of pilaf, couscous, basmati rice, or mashed potatoes garnished with fresh parsley. Also delicious served with a wedge of hard cheese such as Manchego and a chunk of hearty bread.