Lebanese Roasted Stuffed Onions Recipes

LEBANESE ROASTED STUFFED ONIONS

Steps:

• The first step is to soak your rice in a bowl cool water. The rice will absorb some of the water -- we'll drain off the water in a later step.
• Fill a pot with water (enough to cover a whole onion by 1" and bring to a boil. Cut off the very top and bottom of each onion. Make a cut down one side of each of the onions, cutting into the center from top to bottom. This helps the onion layers cook evenly and make it easier to peel. Add the onions, and let them cook for 10 minutes or until the layers soften and separate easily.
• Drain the rice completely. In a large mixing bowl, add the drained rice, tomato paste, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cilantro or parsley and ground meat. Mix well.
• When the onions have finished cooking, remove and drain from the boiling water. Let cool and separate out the layers individually and place 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling, wrap onion around filling, but not too tightly to allow rice to expand during cooking.
• In a large, oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat, swirl in the olive oil. When pan is hot, place the onions seam-side down. Let cook for 2 minutes until the bottoms have browned slightly. Add vinegar to the pan and sprinkle the tops of the onions with sugar. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until the meat and rice are fully cooked, rotating the onions halfway during cooking.

LEBANESE LENTILS, RICE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS (MUJADARA)

Steps:

• Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
• Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
• Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
• Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
• Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.

STUFFED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a Dutch oven, bring a small amount of water to a boil. Peel onions; using a slotted spoon, place onions in boiling water. Cook for 4-6 minutes more until softened; remove and let stand until cool enough to handle. Cut a 1/4-in. slice off the top of each onion. Remove center, leaving a 1/2-in shell. Chop centers and tops of onions; set aside. In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towel to drain. In the drippings, saute chopped onion until tender. Stir in bread crumbs and parsley. Add the butter and mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender. Add bacon, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stuff onion shells; place in an ungreased shallow 1-qt. baking dish. Pour broth around onions. Bake, uncovered, until tender, 45 minutes, basting frequently during the first 15 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

ROASTED STUFFED ONIONS - THE NAKED CHEF, JAMIE OLIVER

Steps:

• Boil the onions in plenty of water for 15 minutes, until slightly tender. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Remove the top 1 inch of each onion and reserve. If need be, slightly trim the stalk end of the onion so that they sit flat on a roasting tray.
• Cut about a heaped tbsp out from the inside of each onion, keeping the outside intact. Finely chop along with the reserved onion top.
• Pre heat the oven to 400°F.
• Heat a frying pan and add a little olive oil, garlic, chopped onions and a little chopped rosemary. Fry for a couple of minutes then turn the heat down and add the cream. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan and season to taste.
• Wrap a rasher of bacon around each onion and secure with the sharpened rosemary twig or half a cocktail stick.
• Place the onions on the roasting tray and spoon some of the filling inside each one. Bake for 25 minutes.
• Place the onions on a warmed serving plate, warm through any remaining filling and serve on the side.

LEBANESE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tops off bell peppers; reserve. Discard seeds. Place peppers in a microwave-safe dish; cover with damp paper towels. Microwave at HIGH for 6 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Combine 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, 1/4 cup broth, and next 5 ingredients. Divide beef mixture among peppers; top with tops. Pour 2 cups water into dish; cover and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle peppers with 1/4 cup parsley.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add onions; saute for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; saute for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, 1/4 cup broth, tomatoes and the next 4 ingredients (water-red pepper); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup parsley and yogurt. Serve with lemons.