Smitten Kitchen's Roasted Stuffed Onions

Roasted Stuffed Onions
Gourmet Magazine, November 2002

A whole bunch of notes: If you only want to make the quantity for stuffed onions, even half of this is slightly more than enough, leaving you with the option of using an extra onion or two, or just baking it in a pan.

If you wish to make this vegetarian, simply omit the bacon, and cook the filling in olive oil instead. Vegetable stock can be swapped for turkey.

If you’re freaked out about hollowing out an onion, believe me, I was too. I dreaded and dreaded it, and then–voila! I used a melon baller. Working carefully, you’ll be surprised how easily it works.

If you’re stressing because you have a lot of guests coming over, you can definitely do the onion-hollowing step a day or two in advance. The stuffing can be made in advanced as well, then brought to room temperature before filling and baking.

10 medium red and yellow onions (4 lb)
1 lb sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces
3 celery ribs, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
15 oz baby spinach, trimmed and coarsely chopped (14 cups)
1 (9-inch) round loaf country-style bread (1 1/4 lb), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (10 cups), lightly toasted
2 cups salted roasted cashews (10 oz), coarsely chopped
1 stick (1/2cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups turkey giblet stock

Make onion shells: Cut a 1/2-inch-thick slice from tops of onions, discarding tops, and trim just enough from bottoms for onions to stand upright. Scoop out all but outer 2 or 3 layers from each using a small ice cream scoop or spoon (don’t worry if you make a hole in the bottom), reserving scooped-out onion and onion shells separately.

Make stuffing: Coarsely chop enough scooped-out onion to measure 3 cups.

Cook bacon in 2 batches in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp, about 10 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, reserving about 1/3 cup fat in skillet.

Add chopped onion, celery, salt, and pepper to skillet and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in spinach, bread, cashews, butter, 1 cup stock, and bacon, then cool completely.

Roast onions: Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange onion shells, open sides up, in a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan, then add 1/2cup water and cover pan tightly with foil. Roast onions in middle of oven until tender but not falling apart, 25 to 30 minutes.

Stuff and bake onions: Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Transfer shells to a work surface and pour off water in pan. Fill shells with stuffing, mounding it, and return to pan. Reserve 5 to 7 cups stuffing for turkey cavity, then put remaining stuffing in a buttered shallow 3 1/2-quart baking dish and drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup stock.

Bake stuffed onions and stuffing in dish in middle of oven, uncovered, until heated through, about 25 minutes.

Marin's Thanksgiving Meal

Honey and Mustard Glazed Green Beans (or Brussels Sprouts)
-Combine honey (1/4 cup), mustard (1/4 cup) and olive oil (1 tbsp) in a small bowl and stir together.
-Trim green beans
-Place vegetables in skillet with just enough water to keep moist. Steam until bright green and just tender-crisp, not a moment longer!
-Pour in the honey-mustard mixture and pinch of salt. Turn up the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring until the vegetables are nicely glazed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure they stay bright green! Remove from heat, sprinkle with the optional nuts, and serve at once, straight from the skillet.

Massaged Kale Salad with Cranberries and Cashews (or Walnuts)
-Strip the kale leaves off the stems. Cut into ribbons and place in a large bowl. With a little olive oil rubbed in your palms, massage the kale for a minute or so, until it becomes bright green and softens a bit.
-Stir the remaining ingredients (2/3 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup toasted cashews/walnuts/pumpkin seeds, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1-2 tbsp lemon juice) and serve at room temperature.

Pear, Apple and Cranberry Crumble
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Place the fresh cranberries (1 cup) in a food processor. Pulse on and off until coarsely chopped.
-Combine the cranberries, pears (3 medium Bosc, cored and thinly sliced), apples (2 large crisp, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced) with maple syrup (1/2 cup), cinnamon (1 tsp), nutmeg (or allspice) (1/4 tsp), and vanilla extract (1 tsp). Stir together until evenly coated. Pour into a lightly oiled 9x13 inch baking pan.
-Combine the first 5 topping ingredients in a small bowl and stir together. Drizzle in the oil and stir until the dry ingredients (1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1/4 cup wheat germ, 1/2 sliced almonds, 1/4 cup natural granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon) are evenly moistened. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit mixture.
-Bake for 40 minutes or until the fruits are soft and the topping is golden. Serve warm, topping each serving with a dollop of frozen dessert such as coconut ice cream, if desired.

Chocolate Pecan Pie
-Preheat oven 375 degrees.
-Beat 3 eggs, add in melted butter, dark corn syrup (1/2 cup), sugar (1 cup). Wisk together. Add chocolate (4 ounces). *Add 2 tbsp of bourbon
-Pour pecan halves (2 cups) into refrigerated pie shell
-Pour pie filling into the pie shell atop the pecans.
-Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 and bake for another 25 minutes.

Carey's Polenta Pizza

boil uncooked polenta in with water
add a teaspoon of olive oil
add salt and pepper
add crushed garlic and cream cheese for the last few minutes
When cooked, spread the polenta onto a cast iron pan and cook in the oven till toasted brown

In a frying pan, sautee onions and mushrooms

When polenta crust has baked for 15 min
add tomato sauce
add sauteed onions and mushroom
add cheese
add green onions
add prosciutto

bake till ready.

Yum!

Aaron's Kale Chips

Rip pieces of Kale (wash well as mud tends to stick on them)
Spread out onto cookie sheet
Pour a nickle sized amount of olive oil into your hands and scrunch it into the Kale
Add salt and pepper to taste.

alternative toppings:
Lemon Juice
Nutritional yeast for a nutty, cheesy flavor
Chili powder, cumin and garlic
Dressing
Cider Vinegar

Bake until crisp but check in on them to make sure they aren't, 10-13 minutes

Yum!

Grandma's Candied Yams

Peel skin off yams
boil them in water till you can stick a knife in it easily
drain water and mush up the yams
add butter
add maple syrup
add brown sugar
add vanilla
add cinnamon
add orange juice
add orange zest
add chai concentrate
add salt

Stir
Bake
add marshmellows for the last 10 min
Remove when marshmellows are toasted

Cool

Eat. Yum!

Lisa's Black Bean Frittata

Sautee in frying pan:
yellow onions
Mushrooms

Mix in a bowl:
eggs
black beans
green onions
salt
pepper
Parmesan cheese
add sauteed onions and mushrooms

pour into iron pan and stove top on low till the edges firm up
Add Cilantro on top
then put in oven at low temperature so that it cooks throughout
remove when middle / top is firm

Cut like a pie
Serve with tortilla chips

Yum!!

Lisa's Arugula Salad

Super healthy and addicting!

Mix in bowl:
A bunch of Arugula
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 a lemon (squeeze and pour juice in bowl)
shredded Parmesan cheese

Yum!

CIA's Pumpkin Sage Polenta

12 servings / 7 cups

In large pot, add 6 cups of water, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, and 3/4 cups of pumpkin puree to almost boiling over medium heat. Stir in 2 tbsp salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed dried sage, 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.

While whisking the liquids, slowly add 2 cups uncooked polenta, till no lumps. Adjust head to keep polenta at a gentle simmer (just barely bubbling). cook and stir till soft and creamy (20 min). If needed, slowly stir in more water to thin.

when polenta is cooked, stir in 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese.

Yum!

CIA's Grilled Sweet Potato Skewers with Curried Onion Dipping Sauce

soak skewers in water (15 min)
boil water in big pot, add salt
4 sweet potatoes, cut into about 1 inch cubes
put into boiling water till firm not crunchy
put potatoes onto skewers

lather with a mix of:
1/2 tbsp salt
1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

grill potato skewers until golden brown with some grill marks, turn once

Serve with Curried Green Onion Dipping Sauce:
3/4 cup sour cream (optional, replace half with creme fraiche)
3 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp dijon mustard
salt and ground black petter to taste
1 teaspoon cumin seeds toasted and ground
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
3 tbsp scalliions or chives
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
3 tbsp cilantro, minced

Stir together
use up to 3 days

CIA's Lavender Shortbread

3 3/4 ounces softened butter (can pound with rolling pin to soften)
1 3/4 ounces sugar
1/2 teaspoon lavender, ground fine
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 each orange zest (only orange part, no white part)
4 ounces cake flour
1/2 ounce rice flour

mix ingredients into a bowl
shape into logs onto parchment paper and chill to firm
cut into 1/4 inches cookies and place on parchment paper

preheat oven to 325 F until lightly golden crisp- about 20 min.

Woody's Brussel Sprouts and Pasta

Boil water and cook pasta

cut stem off brussel sprouts
cut brussel sprouts in half
put into frying pan and fill pan halfway with water and cover
let sprouts broil until they are soft enough that you can cut through them
remove cover and let water evaporate
add salt and pepper
when water is gone add butter and sear it
(optional) add prosciutto but don't cook it for too long since it is very thin and delicate
add Parmesan cheese

add onto pasta and mix up.
Yum!

Al's Black Bean Patties

Ingredients
1 can of black beans
1-2 eggs
1 tbsp flour
green / yellow / red onions
garlic
pepper & salt to taste

Mix into a bowl
Pour small patty onto frying pan

Garnish cheese, lime, cilantro

Kelly's Peach, Cherry, and Goat Cheese Sweet Fritatta

Ingredients
1 Peach cut up into 1 inch cubes
10 cherries pitted and cut in halves
goat cheese
eggs
milk (tiny bit)
thyme
sugar (white or brown)
vanilla

Mix ingredients into bowl
pour into a cast iron pan and place on stovetop
cook on low / med heat till edge of fritatta is firm
stick in oven at low / med heat until center is firm

cool
cut into 6 slices and serve
Yum!

Marin's Veggie Burgers

Veggie Burger Recipe

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 tbsp canola oil
pinch of salt

Place the potatoes, canola oil and salt in a bowl and mix well. Spray a small baking pan and spread the potatoes out in an even layer. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender.

1/2 cup onions, diced small
1tbsp canola oil

Warm a small saute pan and add the onions. Saute until the onions are nicely browned, about 5 minutes.

2 cups cooked black beans of one can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp tamar
2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce(optional)
1/8 cup cornmeal
Pulse all of the above together in a food processor, or a stand mixer. Be careful not to make it to mushy. Cool in fridge. ( I did not cool in fridge, and it was fine) Make patties, spray the pan with canola, or olive oil. Brown both sides, and top with guacamole, salsa or anything you might like. Enjoy!!!!

It is really easy, and you could make your brown rice, and potato's ahead of time.