Rice-Stuffed Onions in Pomegranate and Persian Lime Sauce
For the Stuffing
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 1 ½ cups arborio rice
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted
- ¼ cup dried currants or barberries
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground Baharat*
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Method
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook stirring until they are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and using a wooden spatula, clear one side of the pan, add the pine nuts and cook them until they begin to smell toasty, about 2 minutes. Stir the onions, rice and pine nuts together. Add the currants, salt, pepper, paprika, baharat and parsley and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool.
For the Onions
Ingredients
- 2 large white onions
- 2 large red onions
- 1 jalapeño, halved
- 2 dried Persian limes, crushed
- ½ cup pomegranate molasses
- 2 cups water
- Pomegranate seeds, for garnish, optional
- Edible flowers, for garnish, optional
- Sumac, for garnish, optional
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Drizzle olive oil in a 12-inch, ovenproof pan.
- To prepare the onions, cut a thin slice from the top, or stem end, and the bottom, or root end, of each onion so it will sit flat on your work surface. Cut into the center of each onion as if you are going to cut it in half lengthwise, but don’t cut all the way through. Set the onions in a microwave-safe dish and microwave until soft, 7 to 8 minutes. Alternatively, place the onions in a steamer basket or a strainer set in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and steam over simmering water until soft. Set aside to cool. When the onions are cool enough to handle, separate them into cup-shaped leaves, or petals, and set aside on a large plate.
- To stuff the onions, cup one petal in your hand and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the stuffing, the amount depends on the size of the petals. Carefully roll the onion over the filling to make a football-shaped package. Do not overfill as the rice will expand as it cooks. Repeat until you’ve used all the stuffing; if you have any onion pieces left, especially ones that are too small for stuffing, reserve them to add to the sauce later. Place each filled-onion curl seam side down in the oiled pan; work in circles, starting with larger ones at the periphery and saving the small ones for the center. Tuck the jalapeño halves in between the onions. Crush the Persian limes and add to the pan, tucking the pieces around the edges.
- In a small jug, stir together the pomegranate molasses and the water. Gently pour it over the onions. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour; then remove the lid or foil and return to the oven to bake again until the onions are very soft and lightly golden and most of the liquid has been absorbed, another 25 minutes.
For the Tahini-Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons labneh or whole fat Greek yogurt
Method
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, lemon juice and salt until combined. Add the labneh or yogurt and gently mix.
Stuffing onions may seem like a lot of work, but this recipe is straightforward and easy. Instead of stuffing whole onions, you separate the layers into little cups and cook them in the tangy sauce of pomegranate molasses, Persian lime and jalapeño. The dramatic addition of dried Persian limes adds a piquancy mellowed by the tahini-yogurt sauce. You can also make this recipe using grape leaves.