Stuffed Onions
Ingredients
- 5 large onions
- 12 oz [340 g] ground beef or lamb
- ⅓ cup [65 g] medium bulgur or medium-grain rice, uncooked and rinsed
- ½ cup [20 g] chopped cilantro leaves
- ½ cup [20 g] chopped parsley leaves
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed through a press or minced
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 16 oz [450 g] can spicy salsa, divided in half
- 4 Tbsp [57 g] melted unsalted butter, divided in half
- Salt to taste
- ¾ cup [180 g] tomato juice
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 pint [340 g] cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Prep the onions for stuffing (see instructions and photos below**):
- Combine the ground meat, bulgur, cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, ½ the salsa, and ½ the melted butter. Use your hands to mix together until completely combined. Season to taste.
- Combine the other ½ of the salsa, the other ½ of the butter, the tomato juice, and lemon juice, and season to taste. Heat the liquid through in the microwave.
- Lightly oil the bottom of a 3½- to 4-quart dutch oven or stock pot. Evenly cover the bottom of the pot with whole cherry tomatoes.
- Stuff the onions with the meat-bulgur mixture, and nest them snugly together in the pot.
- Top the stuffed onions with the liquid, and set over medium-high heat. Cover with an upside-down heat-proof plate, and allow it about 5-10 minutes to come to a full simmer. Once it’s simmering, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for another 5 minutes covered with a lid. By this time, the whole thing will be heated through, and you should gradually reduce heat to low while you cook covered for another 40 minutes. During the 40 minutes, bubbles should break the surface at a bare simmer.
- Once the onions are done cooking, remove from heat and let it sit covered for 30 minutes to coast and cool slightly. Once it’s rested, remove the plate with tongs and enjoy.
Notes
**Instructions for prepping onions for stuffing:
- Peel the onion. Carve out the root (place your carving knife at a 45 degree angle, and carefully rotate the onion to carve out a small cone. Do not cut toward your hand.
- Discard the root.
- Cut straight down one side of the onion, with the tip of the knife starting at the very center.
- Boil the onion, and use tongs and a wooden spoon to encourage the layers to separate and peel away (sort of like it’s taking off a jacket). As soon as a layer can peel away without breaking, remove it from the boiling water to a plate. The larger outer layers can be split into 2 pieces (sometimes even 3) to make multiple rolls.
Find it online: https://cardamomandtea.com/45776/stuffed-onions/