Best Roasted Sweet Onions Stuffed With Ground Lamb And Apricots Recipes

ONIONS STUFFED WITH LAMB AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Without peeling the onions, cut 1" off the top of each and a little off the bottom so that the onions stand upright. Reserve tops. Remove all but the outer 2 layers of each by scooping out centers with a knife or pushing them up through the top. Set shells and tops aside, finely chop centers.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add chopped onions and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add lemon zest and apricots and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400*F. Add lamb and cinnamon to onions, increase heat to medium, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until lamb is crumbly and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in stock-apricot mixture and 2 tablespoons each parsley and mint. Cool slightly.
• Spoon filling into onion shells, place in an ovenproof dish. Pile bread crumbs on top (lay onion tops alongside), dot with remaining butter. Pour 1/4 cup water into dish. Bake, basting several times, for 20 minutes, then cover with aluminum foil and bake until onions are tender, about 20 minutes. Garnish with remaining mint and parsley. Serve with onion tops and couscous, if desired.

ROASTED SWEET ONIONS STUFFED WITH GROUND LAMB AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Without peeling the onions, cut about 1 inch off the top of each and just enough off the bottoms so that the onions stand upright. Reserve the onion tops and discard the bottoms. Remove all but the outer two layers of each onion by scooping out the centers with a spoon or melon baller. Set the onion shells in a baking dish, along with the tops. Set aside. Finely chop the insides.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• In a small pot, combine the stock, apricots, and zest over medium heat. Gently simmer until the apricots are plump and the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, roughly 10 minutes.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the chopped onions and cook until soft, about 12 minutes. Add the lamb, cinnamon, and cumin to the onions. Raise the heat to medium-high; season with the salt and pepper. Cook, continually stirring with a wooden spoon, until the lamb is crumbly, 7 to 8 minutes. Do not drain the rendered fat; you need it to keep the onions moist. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the apricot mixture with its liquid, hot sauce to taste, the parsley, and mint. Let cool slightly. The lamb filling can easily be prepared a day in advance, covered, and refrigerated.
• Spoon the lamb mixture into the hollowed-out onions, pressing down with your hands to pack it in, and mound it over the onions. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 minutes, until the bread crumbs are brown. Serve immediately with a few leaves of arugula on the side.