I share my recipe today for this Portuguese/Spanish speciality, best served with a strong cheese.  Membrillo originated around the 4th century and as quince is high in pectin, you need no binding agents to make this jelly. In Malta there are two varieties of quince, the old traditional one with very grainy flesh and a more recent arrival here with flesh that is similar to a cooking apple, fuzzy skin and a more robust flavor.

For the Membrillo you will first need to prepare your quince.

Rinse the quince and rub them lightly with a soft scouring pad to remove some of the fuzz. Be gentle. Leave the skin on but cut them up into chunks and place them in a large pot covered in water plus the juice of one lemon per three pieces of fruit. After juicing the lemons add them whole as they are to the pot. Bring to boil, cover, lower heat and leave to cook for about an hour until tender. Drain the liquid out and I found the juice delicious, a bit tart but can be added to drinks and cocktails, smoothies and with a bit of honey it will suit the palates of most.

Use a hand blender to purée the fruit to a smooth paste. You will find many recipes to peel the fruit. Don’t because it is delicious and will give a bigger yield and blends to a smooth paste and nearly dissolves into the puree.

Weigh the paste
Weigh the same quantity of sugar
Add the juice of one lemon per 500g of paste
Tip of a teaspoon vanilla per 500g of paste
Water

Place over medium heat, bring to boil and stir. Reduce heat and let simmer for around 1 1/2 hours on low heat stirring frequently to keep from burning.

The paste will thicken and darken in colour, becomes rosy/amber.

Line a baking dish with parchment paper and brush it lightly with some good oil. Pour the paste into the dish and smooth the surface with a spatula.

Place in the oven for a few hours on minimum heat just to dry out. Refrigerate.
Cut up and serve with a sting cheese and waterbiscuits.

Here I have used gbejna and Tal-Furnar galletti by Devon The dish is garnished with tulbaghia petals.

You can store  Membrillo in the freezer. This will keep well for a year.

You can follow Lea’s blog on www.goodfoodeveryday.wordpress.com and watch her cook on TVM2. More of her recipes can be found on www.timesofmalta.com.