Lamb, Prune, Apricot + Quince Spread

Name: Lamb, Prune, Apricot + Quince Spread (Yakhmeh-ye Torsh-e Esfahani)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves: 6 to 8
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons oil; ½ lb/225 g ground lamb or turkey; 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper; 1 cup/200 g rice, soaked for 30 minutes, drained, and rinsed; 16 pitted dried prunes (3.5 oz/100 g); 16 dried apricots (3½ oz/100 g); 2 tablespoons date molasses or sugar; 2 tablespoons dried mint flakes, crushed; ½ teaspoon turmeric; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 lb/900 g quinces (about 2 quinces) or Fuji apples, cored, and diced to ½in/1cm cubes

Yakhmeh-ye Torsh-e Esfahani

Preparation info

Serves:
6 to 8

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 20

Appears in

Cooking in Iran

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2020

About

This spread is a traditional old dish from Isfahan containing both lamb and dried fruit. It has a deliciously unusual flavor, almost like a lamb jam. While it’s usually made with chunks of lamb, I’ve used ground lamb for this recipe.

Ingredients

Lamb

2 tablespoons oil
½ lb/225 g ground lamb or

Asia
Iran
Isfahan
Main course
Gluten-free

Method

For the lamb: Heat the oil in a medium-sized enameled cast-iron pot, and sauté the ground lamb and onions over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Add the salt, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and quinces, and sauté for 1 minute.
Add 4 cups/