Roasted Sweet Onions Stuffed With Ground Lamb And Apricots Recipes

ROASTED STUFFED ONIONS WITH BACON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Peel the onions, but leave the root end intact. Pour about 2 inches of water into a large saucepan and set up a collapsible steamer inside. Steam the onions until easily pieced by a knife, about 30 minutes. (For more tender onions you may steam them a little longer; however, they might be somewhat harder to hollow out. Either way they're delicious!) Set aside to cool. Slice off about a third of the top portion of each onion. Using a paring knife, cut out the insides of each onion, leaving about 4 outside layers intact, to make a container for stuffing. Chop the onion insides and tops. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until crispy and the fat has rendered, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped onion, herb sprigs, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Season with pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and cook until dry, scrapping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to get up any browned bits, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and remove from the heat. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the cheese and mustard. Lightly butter a baking dish. Season the inside of the onions with salt and pepper, and spoon the stuffing into each onion cavity, mounding it slightly on top. Set the onions in the dish. Heat the butter in the skillet. Add the breadcrumbs and stir until they absorb the butter. Spoon the buttered breadcrumbs on top of each onion. Roast the onions until well browned and heated through, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

STUFFED SWEET ONIONS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Peel onions and cut a 1/4-in. slice from the top and bottom. Carefully cut and remove the center of each onion, leaving a 1/2-in. shell; chop removed onion., In a large skillet, saute the zucchini, garlic and chopped onions in oil until tender and juices are reduced. Stir in the basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Stir in the bread crumbs, bacon and Parmesan cheese. Fill onion shells with zucchini mixture., Place in a greased 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker. Add broth to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until onions are tender.

STUFFED ONIONS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Make a lengthwise cut into each onion from the top to root end, slicing only halfway through to the middle of the onion. (This will make it easier to separate the layers.) Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer briskly until the onions are softened through the middle and the layers separate easily, about 25 minutes. Transfer onions to a cutting board and let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden, 6 to 7 minutes; transfer to a plate to cool. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
• In a small bowl, combine saffron and lemon juice, and let sit.
• Separate the onion layers until just the centers remain. (You may have to trim the root ends a bit more if the layers don't completely separate.) Cut the 2 largest outer layers from each onion in half for 12 equal pieces, then count out more of the inner layers for a total of 20 to 24 stuffed onions. (The number will vary depending on the size of onions.) Finely chop the remaining onion centers and any remaining onion layers to make 1 cup; a little less or more is OK.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a high-sided, 12-inch ovenproof skillet with a lid over medium. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 minutes. Stir in rice and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, and stir until evenly coated. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, saffron-lemon juice, cinnamon stick, cumin, cardamom and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over high, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until the liquid is just absorbed, about 3 minutes (rice will still be undercooked). Stir in toasted almonds, pistachios, raisins, cherries and parsley.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture in the center of each onion layer so that the onion loosely covers the filling. (Rice will expand; bundles should be partly open.) Scrape out and discard any remaining rice (or reserve for future use) and clean out the skillet.
• Coat the bottom of the skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and arrange onions seam side up in a single layer. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, season onions with salt and pepper, and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil over high, cover tightly and transfer to the oven to bake until all the liquid has been absorbed, rice is cooked through and onions are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley and drizzle with oil. Serve warm.

ONIONS STUFFED WITH LAMB AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Without peeling the onions, cut 1" off the top of each and a little off the bottom so that the onions stand upright. Reserve tops. Remove all but the outer 2 layers of each by scooping out centers with a knife or pushing them up through the top. Set shells and tops aside, finely chop centers.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add chopped onions and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add lemon zest and apricots and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400*F. Add lamb and cinnamon to onions, increase heat to medium, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until lamb is crumbly and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in stock-apricot mixture and 2 tablespoons each parsley and mint. Cool slightly.
• Spoon filling into onion shells, place in an ovenproof dish. Pile bread crumbs on top (lay onion tops alongside), dot with remaining butter. Pour 1/4 cup water into dish. Bake, basting several times, for 20 minutes, then cover with aluminum foil and bake until onions are tender, about 20 minutes. Garnish with remaining mint and parsley. Serve with onion tops and couscous, if desired.

ROAST LAMB STUFFED WITH APRICOT & MINT

Steps:

• Lay the lamb, skin-side down, on a board - if the joint you bought is tied up, then snip the strings and unroll it. Cut several pieces of string long enough to tie around the lamb, then slide them under the joint so they're regularly spaced out. Mix the stuffing ingredients together, and season well. Spread the stuffing out along the middle of the lamb, then fold the meat over to form a roll. Tie the string so the roll stays together, but don't make it too tight or it will cut into the meat. Tie some string lengthways too, if necessary.
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Season the lamb evenly all over. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, then brown the lamb all over. Start with the side where the seam meets, as this will stop the lamb breaking up when you carve it.
• Tip the veg, garlic and rosemary into a roasting tin and put the lamb on top, seam-side down. Cook the lamb until the core temperature reaches 60C on a meat thermometer - this should take around 1 hr for a 2kg leg. As you rest the lamb, the temperature will continue to rise so don't overcook it.
• Lift the lamb out of the tin and, keeping it warm, rest for up to an hour. Put the roasting tin on the hob. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, then tip the lot into a saucepan, scraping up any bits. Add 500ml water and then simmer again until reduced by half. Pour through a fine sieve and serve with the lamb.

ROASTED SWEET ONIONS JULIA CHILD

Steps:

• Pierce a whole sweet onion in five or six places with a knife or a pointed chop stick.
• Put it as is either in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes (this method will caramelize)or in the microwave oven for 5 on high( this method is steamed but so quick).
• Remove from oven; cut it in half or open it up.
• Sprinkle it with grated cheese and olive oil or butter, herbs, salt and pepper.

ROASTED STUFFED RED ONIONS

Steps:

• Cook onions in a pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl; let cool slightly.
• Working with 1 onion at a time, make a lengthwise slit from top to bottom with a paring knife, cutting through 2-3 layers of onion, depending on thickness of layers. Gently remove inside layers, allowing outer 2-3 layers to hold their shape. Finely chop enough of the inside layers to measure 1 cup.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped onions; cook, stirring often, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt, beef, bay leaves, oregano, and mint; cook, breaking up meat with the back of a spoon, until meat is cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in rice, 1/2 cup wine, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; cook, stirring often, until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add dill and zest; mix well. Season filling with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spoon about 1/2 cup filling into each onion (it should be tightly packed). Place onions in a 13x9x2" baking dish, stuffed side up; drizzle with 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 cup wine, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
• Roast onions until crispy on top and slightly browned, about 30 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

ROASTED SWEET ONIONS STUFFED WITH GROUND LAMB AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Without peeling the onions, cut about 1 inch off the top of each and just enough off the bottoms so that the onions stand upright. Reserve the onion tops and discard the bottoms. Remove all but the outer two layers of each onion by scooping out the centers with a spoon or melon baller. Set the onion shells in a baking dish, along with the tops. Set aside. Finely chop the insides.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• In a small pot, combine the stock, apricots, and zest over medium heat. Gently simmer until the apricots are plump and the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, roughly 10 minutes.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the chopped onions and cook until soft, about 12 minutes. Add the lamb, cinnamon, and cumin to the onions. Raise the heat to medium-high; season with the salt and pepper. Cook, continually stirring with a wooden spoon, until the lamb is crumbly, 7 to 8 minutes. Do not drain the rendered fat; you need it to keep the onions moist. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the apricot mixture with its liquid, hot sauce to taste, the parsley, and mint. Let cool slightly. The lamb filling can easily be prepared a day in advance, covered, and refrigerated.
• Spoon the lamb mixture into the hollowed-out onions, pressing down with your hands to pack it in, and mound it over the onions. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 minutes, until the bread crumbs are brown. Serve immediately with a few leaves of arugula on the side.