Lamb with Spiced Quince in Arabic Style

Ingredients

• 500 g lamb loin fillet (boneless)
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 250 ml meat broth
• 4 quinces (about 600 g)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp chopped pistachios

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F) with both top and bottom heat.

2. 2.

   Rinse the lamb, pat it dry, season with salt and pepper, then sear all sides in 1-2 tbsp of hot oil. Roast on a rack (with a fat pan underneath) for about 30 minutes until pink. Deglaze the drippings with some broth and reduce almost completely.

3. 3.

   Wash, peel, quarter, pit, and cut the quinces into pieces. Drizzle with lemon juice. Peel and finely dice the onion. Sauté in the remaining hot oil until translucent, then deglaze with a bit of broth. Add the quince, a touch of honey, cardamom, star anise, and cinnamon; simmer gently for about 15 minutes until soft. Add more broth if needed.

4. 4.

   Strain the quince through a sieve and remove the spices.

5. 5.

   Toast the pistachios in a dry pan briefly, then combine the deglazed drippings, quince, remaining honey, and some broth. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the lamb from the oven, let it rest briefly, slice, and serve on top of the spiced quince.