Although upholding the foundations of almost all savoury dishes, the onion rarely takes centre stage. This dish takes advantage of the onion’s excellent ability to be stuffed, offering numerous flavour combinations. Try stuffing them with ground lamb and tomato, or beans and rice.
SERVES 4
● 4 large onions, red or brown
● 250g chestnut mushrooms
● 1 garlic clove
● 100ml white wine
● 125g cottage cheese
● 2 big handfuls of spinach/chard or kale
● 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
● Salt and pepper
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200C/fan 190C/gas 6
2. Cut 1 cm (½ inch) off the bottoms of the onions, so they can stand flat. Wrap each onion in foil and bake until soft in the oven, for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, unwrap, and leave until cool enough to handle.
3. Peel the onions and hollow out the middle, using a melon scoop, or small knife, leaving the outer 3 layers to form a shell and place back into the baking dish. Save 4 heaped tbsp of the onion flesh, chop and set aside (save the rest for another use).
4. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, and add the chopped onions, mushrooms and spinach/chard and sauté for a few minutes. Next add the garlic and half the white wine, heat through. Finally add the cottage cheese, season to taste and scoop the stuffing into the hollow onions.
5. Brush the outsides of the onions with olive oil. Pour the remaining wine into the baking dish.
6. Roast until the onions are tender and golden, for 30 minutes. Carefully lift each onion from the baking dish and serve hot with couscous or mashed potatoes and gravy.