Last Tuesday (Michaelmas) we noticed there was a windfall quince under our smaller of the two quince trees. It had a big rotten spot on the bottom, so it would not keep but rather than waste it we incorporated it into supper.
Did a light sear on a rack of bone-in lamb loin, then braised it with ham stock, a Weissbier, onion, salt, and threw the quince slices on top.
Light stovetop braise well below simmering for about 1.5 hours (loin is easy to over cook, too hot or too long and it will come out dry).
Even Seppi ate it without complaint, and the quince with the lamb was delightful. I bet it would be even better as a tagine.
I also like to do risotto in lamb stock to go with lamb, but you can’t use only lamb stock, the flavor is far too strong. Instead, saute shallot and a little garlic in butter, olive oil or both, then saute the rice (1.5 cups) until translucent, then add 6-8 ounces of white wine. After the wine has frothed, add 1 cup of stock, and boil down. Then another cup of stock and boil down. Then add in a cup of milk, and then another cup of milk. Finally, add the parmesan while there is still a bit of liquid, and more porridge style consistency, and take it off the heat to sit for a few minutes. The result has a full, sweet body, and the kids devour it like it is going out of style. (If I am using chicken or ham stock, I don’t add the milk.)
We also cut into our first leg of fenalar.
It has been curing in the “curing chamber” since March, and is now hard as a rock. The texture, density and taste are extremely concentrated. The rind has a jerky texture, but the internal meat is much less chewy. Toothsome is the word I would probably use. Also, it is extremely salty. I am not sure if this is a consequence of the concentration over time, or of oversalting at the start.
Speaking of concentration…
Did she just grasp the concept of a relative pronoun?
Miss Evie is a huge fan of fenalar and would eat the whole leg in one day if I let her.
Since it was Michaelmas, here is Evie making a blackberry crumble to share with her confirmation class.
