Chef Dimitra
Attiki Kotopoulo me Patates sto Fourno (Κοτόπουλο με Πατάτες στο Φούρνο)
Attiki's lemon-oregano tray roast: chicken browned above, potatoes cut large below, drinking olive oil, garlic, lemon, and all the Sunday pan juices.
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Macedonian Pork with Quinces (Choirino me Kydonia, Χοιρινό με Κυδώνια)
Created by
Macedonia's autumn pork-and-quince braise is built on browned fruit, slow oniony sauce, and enough cinnamon to scent the rich pot without turning supper into dessert.
Main Dishes
Greek
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
Make Ahead
30 min
Active Time
2 hr 15 min cook•2 hr 45 min total
Yield6 servings
Macedonian choirino me kydonia is autumn in a pot: pork shoulder braised until spoon-tender, quince cut in thick wedges, and a dark onion-tomato sauce scented with cinnamon and allspice. The region is the dish's surname, and here that surname is Macedonia. The fruit is not decoration. It turns sharp and honeyed against the pork, and that sweet-sour edge is what makes the dish northern.
The step that decides it is the quince. Brown the wedges first, then keep them out of the pot until the pork is nearly tender. Quince looks tough when raw, yes, but once it gives, it gives all at once. If it cooks from the beginning, it collapses into the sauce before the meat has softened.
Use shoulder or neck, not lean loin, and give the sauce time to thicken until it coats the fruit. I learned to trust this version in Macedonia's autumn kitchens, where the first quinces sit on the table just to scent the room before they go into the pot. A recipe written down is a recipe saved, especially one like this, cooked once the weather turns and the house wants something serious.
Choirino me kydonia belongs to the winter table of northern Greece, especially Macedonia and Thrace, where the household pig was traditionally slaughtered around Christmas and quinces kept well into the cold months. Meat-and-fruit braises were known in Byzantine and Ottoman household cooking, but Greek Christian kitchens made pork the festive meat of the form. In Macedonia, quince is not a garnish; it supplies the sour perfume that cuts the fat and marks the dish as autumn food.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
boneless pork shoulder or neck (choirino)
Quantity
1.2kg
cut into 4cm pieces
fine sea salt
Quantity
12g
divided
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1 teaspoon
firm quinces (kydonia)
Quantity
900g
peeled, cored, and cut into thick wedges
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
30ml
divided
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
80ml
divided
yellow onions
Quantity
300g
finely chopped
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
finely chopped
tomato paste
Quantity
20g
dry red wine
Quantity
200ml
grated ripe tomato or canned crushed tomato
Quantity
250g
hot water
Quantity
250ml
cinnamon stick
Quantity
1
allspice berries
Quantity
3
bay leaf
Quantity
1
sugar
Quantity
10g
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| boneless pork shoulder or neck (choirino)cut into 4cm pieces | 1.2kg |
| fine sea saltdivided | 12g |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1 teaspoon |
| firm quinces (kydonia)peeled, cored, and cut into thick wedges | 900g |
| fresh lemon juicedivided | 30ml |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oildivided | 80ml |
| yellow onionsfinely chopped | 300g |
| garlic clovesfinely chopped | 2 |
| tomato paste | 20g |
| dry red wine | 200ml |
| grated ripe tomato or canned crushed tomato | 250g |
| hot water | 250ml |
| cinnamon stick | 1 |
| allspice berries | 3 |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| sugar | 10g |
Equipment Needed
- •wide heavy lidded casserole, 28-30cm
- •slotted spoon for lifting quince wedges
- •wooden spoon for scraping the browned base
Instructions
- 1
Season the pork
Pat the pork very dry. Toss it with 8g of the salt and the black pepper, then let it stand while you prepare the quinces. If you have the time, cover and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours; the meat seasons more evenly, but the pot will still be good today.
- 2
Prepare the quinces
Peel the quinces, cut them into thick wedges, and remove the hard cores cleanly. Toss the wedges with 15ml of the lemon juice so they don't darken while the pan heats. Keep them thick. Thin slices disappear in a braise.
- 3
Brown the quince
Warm 30ml of the olive oil in a wide heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Drain the quince wedges if they have thrown off liquid, pat them dry, and brown them in one layer until golden at the edges, about 2 minutes per side. Lift them to a plate. This browning is what helps the fruit keep its shape later, so don't rush it.
If your pot is narrow, brown the quince in two batches. Crowding makes the fruit sweat and soften before it colors. - 4
Brown the pork
Add 30ml more olive oil to the same pot. Brown the pork in batches, turning it until the edges are deep golden, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Move each batch to a plate as it finishes. Leave the browned bits in the pot; they belong in the sauce.
- 5
Build the sauce
Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining 20ml olive oil. Add the onions and the remaining 4g salt, then cook until soft and lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute, then the tomato paste for another minute, until it darkens slightly. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot clean with a wooden spoon.
- 6
Braise the pork
Return the pork and any juices to the pot. Add the grated tomato, hot water, cinnamon stick, allspice, bay leaf, and sugar. Bring it to a low bubble, cover, and cook gently for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the pork is nearly tender but not falling apart. If the pot looks dry, add a small splash of hot water.
- 7
Add the quince
Nestle the browned quince wedges into the sauce and spoon a little sauce over them. Cover the pot loosely and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pork is tender and the quince yields to a knife but still holds its edges. Shake the pot now and then instead of stirring hard; quince deserves a gentle hand.
If the sauce is thin when the quince is tender, lift the lid for the last 5 to 10 minutes and let it reduce until glossy. - 8
Rest and serve
Pull out the cinnamon stick, allspice berries, and bay leaf. Stir in the remaining 15ml lemon juice, taste the sauce, and let the pot rest off the heat for 15 minutes. Serve warm with plain rice, hilopites, potatoes, or good bread for the sauce.
Chef Tips
- •Λίγα και καλά: choose quince by perfume, not looks. It should be hard, yellow, and fragrant at the stem. If there are no quinces, this isn't the day for the dish; make a pork and leek pot instead.
- •Use canned crushed tomato outside tomato season. A good tin gives cleaner sauce than a pale winter tomato, and this dish already belongs to cold weather.
- •The pot is better after a rest and very good the next day. Reheat it slowly and move the quince with a spoon, not a stir, so the wedges stay whole.
Advance Preparation
- •Season the pork up to 24 hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
- •The full braise can be made 1 day ahead; reheat gently over low heat, loosening with a splash of hot water if the sauce has tightened.
- •For the neatest quince wedges, brown the quince and pork in the morning, then add the quince for the final 25 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 430g)
Calories
680 calories
Total Fat
44 g
Saturated Fat
13 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
31 g
Cholesterol
125 mg
Sodium
950 mg
Total Carbohydrates
33 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
24 g
Protein
36 g
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