Below we give you a delicious fruit dip recipe that combines the contrasting tastes of quince and garlic into an awesome dip for the fall, the quince season. It is one of those delicious fall dip recipes that you will miss the rest of the year.
In October, when the cold starts to bite, you suddenly remember this traditional vegetable dip recipe using quince fruit from the Mediterranean Catalan Pyrenees. Allioli de Codony, in English Quince Aioli, is a healthy fruit dip recipe that (as we suggested above) masterfully blends the unique quince flavor and the spiciness of the garlic into an unexpectedly aromatic fruit dip.
Ingredients for Allioli de Codony
- 2 quinces —whole
- 6 garlic cloves —peeled
- 1 cup or 25 cl olive oil —Use extra virgin olive oil if you can. We always use Catalan arbequina olive oil but any other mild olive oil will do.
- Salt
How to prepare this fruit dip recipe
- Wash the quinces. Cook them in water on medium heat in a covered pot for 20 minutes or until they are soft. Decrease or increase the cooking time depending on the size of your quinces. Do not allow the quince fruits to become mushy.
- Meanwhile, add a large pinch of salt to a large kitchen mortar and add the peeled garlic cloves. Pound and mash the garlic cloves with the mortar pestle until you get a smooth, creamy paste with a thick consistency. Set the garlic paste aside.
- Drain the quince fruits and let them cool for a while until you can handle them. Peel and core them. Cut the quince fruits into large cubes, squash them with a fork, and add them to a large mortar. Work them with the pestle until smoothly pureed.
- Add the garlic to the mortar and work the mixture with the pestle until well mixed.
- Slowly add olive oil and continue stirring and working the mixture with the pestle until you get a thick emulsion with a smooth consistency.
Tips about quince recipes
If your quince fruit is anything like the one you see in the picture above that I got from a local Mediterranean small farmer you’ll need to increase the cooking time to about 45 minutes. If it is similar to an apple in size, fifteen minutes will do.
Many home cooks prefer to peel and core the quinces before cooking them. In this case, the cooking time is much shorter. However, peeling robust quinces is rather cumbersome. I have tried it both ways and I much prefer peeling them after cooking them. Not only is it a lot easier, it preserves the aroma of the quince fruit much better.
Another option is to use a food mill to mash the cooked quinces. It is a much better solution than a blender or a food processor that liquidizes the quinces too much.
This quince-garlic dip belongs to the allioli family and is a superb accompaniment to meat, chicken or rabbit. It combines very well with rice and vegetarian dishes. For a healthy breakfast recipe, spread it on a bread slice or toast. As a dip or appetizer, it is also inviting.
