Turkish stuffed onions in a tomato marinade
Herby and fragrant, this recipe utilises the humble white onion, stuffed with rice and mince, then cooked in a rich, tomato marinade. Onions dolma, also known as Sogan Dolma, is a traditional Turkish dish. Dolma simply translates to ‘stuffed’, a cooking technique attributed to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine whereby vegetables are stuffed with rice, herbs, spices and sometimes meat.
I added celery to my own dolma, but you can keep the dish simple with just rice and mince or add any vegetables you like. I can imagine aubergine or courgette to be particularly tasty.
This recipe can be simplified into 2 parts: the onions dolma and the tomato marinade used to soften and bake them.
This recipe serves 4 people, 6 if served as a side dish.
Ingredients
8 medium sized white onions
400g of mince
150g of rice
2 celery stalks
2 salad tomatoes
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
Garlic
Coriander, tarragon or parsley
Baharat spice mix, salt and onion seeds
Method
Onion Dolma
Make one deep cut from the centre to the outside of each onion, slicing through all the layers on one side only.
Blanch the onions by boiling them for 5 minutes and then running them under cold water. This will stop the onions cooking immediately, leaving them crisp yet easy to peel.
Set the onions aside to cool and gather your ingredients for the filling.
Fry the mince, rice, and vegetables together on a high heat until your mince has browned and your vegetables are soft.
Into your filling mixture add diced garlic and seasoning of your choice. I used Baharat, a blend of deep, aromatic spices, including cumin, cinnamon, black pepper and paprika. I also added black onion seeds and salt.
While your filling cooks, gently peel your onions. Start from where you made your incision, gently pulling each layer off, one at a time. You should be able to peel 3 to 4 layers before reaching the core of the onion. Save the parts of the onions that you cannot peel, we will use them in our marinade.
Stuff your onions with about a tablespoon of mixture in each layer. Your layers should curl up at both ends, making it easy to hold the mixture and then wrap your onions to seal them. Don’t worry if you overfill them or they’re difficult to close.
Tomato marinade
Dice the centres of your onions and your tomatoes.
Fry the onions until soft, then add your diced and chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.
Chop the fresh herbs, coriander, parsley or tarragon, and stir them into your sauce.
Blend your sauce for a smoother marinade or transfer them straight into a large oven dish.
Carefully place each stuffed onion into your dish, you can spoon some of the marinade on top of each onion, or leave them bare to crisp and caramelise.
Place your dish into the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove, cool and serve!
Written by Amelia Rose
Amelia is a writer and food enthusiast based in Bristol. She enjoys testing new recipes and trying new restaurants. She writes most about food, the environment and animal rights.
