Stuffed Onions with Fragrant Rice and Pine Nuts
Called Salantourmasi in Greece, these stuffed onions are filled with fragrant rice and fresh herbs. Using simple ingredients to create something beautiful and delicious, they take some patience but are well worth the effort.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice uncooked
- 8 medium white onions
- 1/2 cup olive oil divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup tomato purée
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped mint
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Rinse the rice and let it soak in water for 15 minutes. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Cut off the top, bottom, and outer skin of the onions. Run a knife down the center from top to bottom stopping at the middle.8 medium white onions
- Boil the onions until they start to soften but still hold their shape, 10-15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Separate onion layers carefully without tearing.
Filling and Baking
- Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a sauté pan. Add chopped onion and garlic, sauté 3 minutes, add tomato purée, season, cook 3 minutes more, then transfer to bowl.
- Mix in rice, herbs, nuts, spices, season. Stuff onion layers, arrange in a baking dish, pour over remaining liquid, cover, bake.
- Bake covered 30 minutes, uncover, bake 30 minutes more, broil 1-2 minutes for extra color.
Serving
- Garnish with parsley and toasted pine nuts before serving.
Notes
Called Salantourmasi in Greece, these stuffed onions are filled with fragrant rice and fresh herbs. Using simple ingredients to create something beautiful and delicious.
They take some patience but are well worth the effort.