Arabic stew with quinces, from the oven

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg topside beef
• 4 m.-large quince(s)
• 2 carrots
• 1 m.-sized sweet potato(s)
• 2 onions
• 200 ml tomato(s) from the can
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 tbsp barberries
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 4 tbsp oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours

Wash the meat and pat dry. Cut into goulash-sized cubes. Peel, quarter, and slice the onions. Peel, quarter, and slice the sweet potatoes. Peel and slice the carrots. For the quinces, you need a sturdy, sharp knife and a bit of patience. Quarter or eighth the quinces, depending on their size. Slice them. The quinces are very hard, and the core is almost concrete. If all else fails, cut the quinces lengthwise again or cut the slices down to the core and then tackle the core. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a roasting pan. Layer the meat, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, quinces, tomatoes, tomato paste, half the barberries, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Then do the same with the second layer. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. The stew will look very dry when layered, but the vegetables are releasing a lot of water. Now it goes into the oven: 1 hour at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit), followed by 1.5 hours at 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit). It’s perfectly fine on its own. It also goes well with rice, couscous, or bread, and serves 6 people.