Onions Stuffed with Ground Meat / Kelemia
The Greek kitchen abounds with luscious "country" recipes for stuffed onions, an economical dish that requires a little time. This particular rendition os from Galaxidi, a coastal area on the mainland side of the Corinth Canal. It makes a beautiful dinner party treat, as an opener or, even, as a main course. There are vegetarian renditions of stuffed onions, too.
Look for large red onions. They have a robust flavor and look better than pale yellow onions when cooked.
Ingredients
- 12 very large yellow onions
- ½ pound/225 g. ground goat or lamb
- ½ pound/225 g. lean ground beef
- ½ cup grated kefalograviera cheese or any hard yellow cheese
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ¼ cup short-grain rice nihaki
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup/80 ml extra-virgin Greek olive oil
- 1 cup/240 ml dry white wine
Instructions
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1. Peel the onions and cut off the tops and bottoms so that both ends are level, reserving the cut ends. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the onions for about 5 minutes to soften. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Using a teaspoon, hollow out the inside of the onions, leaving a ¼-to ½-inch/0,06- to 1-cm shell. Finely chop the inner sheaves, together with the reserved tops and bottoms.
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2. Combine the ground meats, cheese, and parsley in a large bowl. Add the chopped onions and rice, season with salt and pepper, and add the olive oil. Knead together very well.
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3. Fill each of the onions with the ground meat mixture. Place in a single layer in a large, wide pot. Pour in the wine and enough water to just cover the onions. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the onions and weigh it down with a plate. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the onions are very tender and the filling cooked, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Serve.
