Lamb Tagine with Quince (Safarjal)

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg Ovis aries lamb shoulder, bone-in, cut into large pieces
• 2 quince (Cydonia oblonga), firm, not overripe; peeled, cored, quartered, rubbed immediately with lemon juice
• 1 lemon, juiced, for rubbing cut quince surfaces
• For the M'qualli base
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 60 ml olive oil
• 1 medium onion, grated or very finely chopped
• For the quince pre-cook
• 40 g clarified butter (smen or ghee)
• 40 g caster sugar, for caramelisation to deep amber

Method

1. 1
   Place the lamb shoulder pieces in a heavy tagine or wide casserole and add the grated onion, olive oil, ground ginger, turmeric, white pepper, and salt, then turn the pieces to coat thoroughly in the M'qualli base. Add enough water to come one-third up the meat and set over a medium-low flame, bringing it to a gentle simmer — grating the onion rather than chopping it dissolves it into the base so it perfumes the sauce without leaving coarse, undercooked pieces. The base is ready when the oil begins to separate slightly at the surface and the liquid smells of warm spice rather than raw onion.
2. 2
   Cover and braise the lamb over a low, steady heat for a minimum of 90 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally and adding small amounts of water if the base reduces too far, so the meat remains half-submerged rather than steaming dry above an empty pan. The lamb is done when a skewer meets no resistance at the thickest point and the meat is pulling away from the bone.
3. 3
   While the lamb finishes its braise, rub the quince quarters with lemon juice immediately after cutting, so the cut flesh stays pale and does not turn dull and brown before it reaches the pan. Melt the clarified butter in a wide frying pan over a medium flame, lay the quince quarters cut-side down, and sauté without moving them until the cut surfaces are golden — clarified butter is used here rather than whole butter because its higher smoke point allows the quince to colour deeply before the fat turns acrid. Scatter over the caster sugar and continue cooking, turning carefully, until every surface reaches a deep amber caramel; this is where the dish lives or dies, because under-caramelised quince will taste tart and undeveloped while correctly caramelised quince will be amber, firm-tender, and intensely fragrant with its distinctive floral-quince aroma.
4. 4
   Nestle the caramelised quince quarters over and around the braised lamb in the tagine, then spoon some of the braising liquid over the quince. Cover and cook together for 25–30 minutes over a low flame — do not add flour or starch, because the quince releases its own pectin into the liquid as it finishes cooking, thickening the sauce to a light, clingy consistency you cannot achieve with a starch without dulling the fragrance. The sauce is ready when it is visibly silky and glossy and coats a spoon with a light sheen without running off thin.
5. 5
   Taste the sauce for salt. Serve in the tagine vessel with the amber quince arranged over the dark braised lamb; the sauce should carry a pronounced quince fragrance even before the lid is lifted at table.