🌱🍰🇦🇷 Grandma Sita is making the most of the last quinces from the previous season before the new harvest arrives in September! Quinces are a wonderfully fragrant autumn fruit, and if you have some left in your kitchen, you can freeze them and enjoy their delicious flavour for longer. Grandma Sita learns with María how to turn this lovely fruit into a delicious Argentinian-style quince pie, inspired by the classic Pasta Frola.
😋 This easy plant-based recipe is sweet, comforting and wonderfully versatile. Pasta Frola is traditionally made with quince paste, but you can also use a thick jam or marmalade. In Argentina, you’ll even find versions made with sweet potato jam or dulce de leche.
➡️ Every family in Argentina has its own Pasta Frola recipe. The soft, crumbly pastry, generous quince filling and beautiful golden pastry strips on top make this pie a much-loved homemade classic. And, as they say in Argentina: “La vida no es una pasta frola” — life is not a Pasta Frola! 💚
INGREDIENTS
For the shortcrust pastry
2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cold plant-based butter or margarine
2 tablespoons water
Zest of 1 orange
A pinch of salt
For the filling
1 cup homemade or shop-bought quince paste
*Note: For this recipe, we made a thick compote using 2 quinces and 3 apples.
METHOD
For the shortcrust pastry
1. Mix the dry ingredients — flour, salt, baking powder and sugar — in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Cut the plant-based butter into small pieces and rub it into the dry ingredients until well combined.
3. Add the orange zest and water, mixing gently with a fork until the dough starts to come together.
4. Knead the dough a couple of times, just until combined. If needed, add an extra tablespoon of flour or a little orange juice until you have a soft dough.
5. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
For the assembly
1. Place the quince paste in a small saucepan with ½ cup of water and warm gently until the quince paste softens.
2. Mash it with a fork until you have a smooth, spreadable consistency. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly oil a tart tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
4. Roll out about ¾ of the dough on a lightly floured surface into a circle large enough to cover the base and sides of the tart tin. Carefully place the dough in the tin. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the pastry is lightly golden.
5. Leave the pastry to rest for about 10 minutes, then spread the quince filling evenly over the partially baked pastry.
6. Roll the remaining dough, and cut thin strips of dough, using them to make a lattice pattern over the top of the tart.
7. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature. Bon appétit!
👵🏻💚 Grandma Sita’s tips
- 🍊 Make the pastry ahead: You can prepare the shortcrust pastry in advance and freeze it. Wrap it well, freeze it, and simply thaw it in the fridge for a few hours before rolling it out. Ready when you are!
- ❄️ Freeze the finished tart: You can also bake the whole Pasta Frola, cut it into portions and freeze the slices. Wrap them well or store them in an airtight container. They can be enjoyed once thawed, or even slightly chilled — Grandma Sita says they’re delicious either way!
- 🧈 Keep the pastry light: Avoid overworking the dough. Knead it only until the ingredients come together; too much kneading can make the pastry tough instead of soft and crumbly.
- 🍊 Don’t waste the orange: Use the zest to flavour the pastry and save the rest of the orange juice for the dough if it needs a little extra moisture. You can also freeze leftover orange zest for another recipe.
- 🍎 Give fruit a second life: Homemade quince and apple compote is perfect for using fruit that is ripe and needs eating. You can make a larger batch and use it for pies, crumbles, porridge, toast or yoghurt.
- 🍐 Adapt the filling: No quince paste? No problem! A thick jam or marmalade works beautifully. You can also try apple, pear or other seasonal fruit preserves, as long as the filling is thick enough to stay inside the pastry.
- 🔪 For neat slices: Let the tart cool before cutting it. Use a sharp knife and wipe the blade between slices for clean, beautiful pieces.
- 🫙 Storage: Keep the baked tart in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. Bring it to room temperature before serving, or warm it gently in the oven.
📗Did you know? Pasta Frola is another delicious example of the Italian influence on Argentinian cuisine. Its name comes from the Italian “pasta frolla”, the crumbly shortcrust pastry traditionally used to make crostata, Italian jam tarts. In Argentina, the filling has evolved to suit local tastes, with dulce de membrillo (quince paste) being one of the most traditional choices, alongside dulce de leche and other sweet fillings.
🗑️ A little food-waste fact
Quinces are a seasonal fruit that can easily be overlooked because they are quite firm and usually need cooking before they can be enjoyed. Instead of letting them go to waste, turning them into quince paste or compote is a wonderful way to preserve them for longer. The same goes for apples that are becoming too soft — they are perfect for cooking down into a thick, naturally sweet filling.
♻️ Cook, preserve and enjoy! A few quinces, some apples and a simple pastry can become something truly special. Grandma Sita loves recipes like Pasta Frola because they remind us that good food doesn’t need to be complicated — and ingredients that need using can always inspire something delicious. Less waste, more flavour, the Grandma Sita way!