This Mediterranean quince jam is based on an Albanian recipe for recel ftoi. Serve it at breakfast with buttered toast or over crackers and soft cheeses for an appetizer.
Wash quinces and then dry them. Cut in the middle, remove the core.
Slice each half in 3-4 big slices. Place slices of quince in a bowl of cold water. Slice half a lemon in round slices and place them in water too. It prevents the fruit from becoming brown.
Blend the quince in quick pulses or grate them. See a picture in recipe notes, chunks don't have to be perfect. It's ok if size varies slightly.
Boil 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar, stir occasionally so sugar can dissolve. Add more sugar for a sweeter jam.
Once it boils, add blended quinces. Mix well, lower temperature to medium.
Squeeze the remaining lemon half, pour it in. Then zest the lemon until you have about 1 tbsp of zest. Throw that in as well.
Cover up and let cook for about 30 minutes. Turn stovetop off, move the pot to the side. Let it cool down.
Then once cool, put it to cook again for another 30 minutes in medium heat. Adjust water quantity as needed. This jam shouldn't be too runny so be careful not to add too much. I didn't need to add anymore to mine but my quinces were on the smaller/medium size. For bigger quinces you might have to add few tbsps of water.
Once cooked for the second time, it should have reached the perfect consistency and quinces should be soft enough.
Pour in jars when cool, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks in air tight closed jars. Serve for breakfast over buttered toast or over cheeses and other appetizers.
Notes
There are 2 methods of cooking this jam. This recipe details my preferred method. The other way is to peel quinces after slicing them. Boil only the peels. Then blend the quince flesh and pour that in a pot with sugar and the boiled water (after draining it). That way it keeps the flavor from the skin. I actually cook mine with skin on, but cook it twice.