I don't actually know anyone who makes stuffed onions, Armenian or otherwise. The reason I referred to these as Armenian is that I used the ingredients we use for Losh Kebab (the Armenian equivalent of a Hamburger) as the filling. We had chicken the past few nights, and I was trying to think of something that didn't involve carbs since one of the chicken dishes was a pasta dish; this is what came to mind. They were very good, but at the same time, they didn't taste like Losh Kebab for some reason. Maybe there's more to grilling than I thought? If you were to form the filling into patties, you would grill or broil them for burgers.
- Large onions
- 1 sm green bell pepper
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground lamb
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1 t allspice
- Fresh chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
- Start by coring your onions, so you are left with just the outermost layer or two. Cut the root end to level it, then slice off the top and pull out the middle. Maybe this shouldn't have been a concern, but I wanted to keep the bottom intact - that proved to be trickier than I had anticipated. I started by using an iced tea spoon to pull out the center bulb, then used a paring knife to remove a small section so I could pull the rest out more easily. The problem came in trying not to pop the bottom out along with the layers.
- Once that is done, stream the onions in 1/2“ inch of water for about 10” to soften them, then remove from heat, drain, and set aside. Or microwave them.
- While your onions are steaming, petite dice your pepper, chop the filling from two of your onions (reserving the rest for another preparation or freezing for later use), and chop your parsley.
- Over medium heat, using just a tablespoon of butter or olive oil to get them going, sweat your peppers and onions, seasoning with a little salt and plenty of black pepper.
- When the peppers/onions start to cook down, add the beef and lamb, breaking them up and cooking until just a bit of pink is still showing - it will finish in the oven.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the tomato paste, lemon juice, parsley, and allspice. I used a half bunch of parsley, but plan to increase it next time.
- Spoon the filling into the onion shells, packing it in well so they keep their shape. Bake at 350 for 25-30“. You can serve them as is, or top them with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkling of additional parsley, or fresh chopped mint. [My “dressed” pics didn't work out - the yogurt was too bright, but here's a naked onion …]
I prepared 4 onions (two vidalia and two red) and had enough filling left for about 4 more, so you can either increase the number of onions, decrease the amount of filling, or re-purpose the leftovers. I think I might add some crushed tomatoes to mine later in the week and serve it over pasta.
tags: low-carb
source: http://hyethymecafe.blogspot.com/2012/05/armenian-stuffed-onions.html