HELLİMLİ YALANCI SOĞAN DOLMASI (Hellim & Rice Stuffed Baked Onions)
HELLİMLİ YALANCI SOĞAN DOLMASI
Serves 4-6
5 large onions
50g fresh flat leaf parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
1tsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp Turkish sweet mild red pepper paste
3 tbsp tomato puree
200g white short-grain or pudding rice, washed (not soaked) and drained
1x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp dried mint
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
60ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
1tsp coarse bIack pepper
1½ tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper/Turkish red pepper flakes)
1 large tomato, halved and thickly sliced
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
400ml boiling hot water
200m cold water
For the butter sauce:
50g unsalted butter
2 tsp pul biber
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Dolma = stuffed / to stuff
Full recipe on my blog (same recipe as the savoy cabbage dolma in DINNER TONIGHT + 250g hellim)
#MyFavouriteThings #dolma #hellim
Wash the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear, then allow to drain fully.
Peel the onions (without cutting them), then finely chop one of them and leave to one side.
Vertically from the bottom up, slice halfway into the remaining 4 whole onions, only to the core, not all the way through. Cut the bottoms off the onions. This will make it much easier to separate the layers of the onions once cooked. Place the onions into a pan and cover with cold water. Place the pan on the hob over a medium-high heat, bring up to the boil, then turn down and simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Add 2tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil to a small frying pan and place on the hob over a low-medium heat. Once hot, add the finely chopped onion to the pan, along with half of the salt, and cook the onions for around 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and caramelised. Add the sweet red pepper paste and 2 tbsp of the tomato purée to the pan, stirring well. Stir through the rice and pour in the chopped tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to bubble and reduce for a couple of minutes, then turn off the heat and carefully transfer everything from the pan to a large dish to cool down for a few minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
Once cooled, add the remaining sea salt flakes, the dried mint finely chopped parsley leaves, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, black pepper and 1 tsp of the pul biber to the rice mixture. Mix everything together well.
Carefully drain the water from the pan of the cooked, whole onions and top the pan up with cold water. Leave for 2-3 minutes then drain the cold water from the pan. Separate the larger and medium sized leaves from the onions taking care not to tear or break them, and leave these leaves to one side – these are the onion leaves that will be stuffed – you should have around 16-20 good-sized leaves from the 4 large onions. Finely chop the very small leaves / core of the onions, to add them to the stuffing
Stuff each of the onion leaves with around 2 tablespoons, or enough of the filling mixture as possible, that will enable you to wrap the onion over itself slightly without the filling spilling out. Place the stuffed onions, seam-side down into an oven-proof baking dish big enough to keep them snug, but not cramped or too loose. I use either a deep circular casserole / pie dish or a 24 x 20cm rectangular oven-proof dish.
Lay a sheet of greaseproof over the stuffed onions and place a dinner plate, or two smaller plates, on top to weigh everything down a little. Add the remaining 1tbsp tomato puree and the 200ml boiling hot water to a small jug, and stir well until fully dissolved. Top up the liquid with the 300ml cold water and carefully pour it all into the side of the oven dish. Pop the lid on the dish (or cover very tightly with foil), then put it on the middle rack of the oven for an hour.
Remove the dish or tray from the oven and place it on a flat, heatproof surface. Very carefully remove the lid/foil, the plate(s) and the parchment paper. Turn the heat up to 220°C/200°C fan/ 425°F/gas mark 7 and pop the dish/tray back in the oven, uncovered, on the middle rack for another 20 minutes.
Add the butter to a small frying pan and place on the hob over a low-medium heat. As soon as the butter melts, sir through the remaining ½ tsp of pul biber and take off the heat.
Take the dish/tray out of the oven again, brush everything with a little of the melted pul biber better and pop back in the oven for a final 10 minutes.
Take the dish out, add the pomegranate molasses to the remaining melted chilli butter and pour it all over the onions. Allow to dolma
To rest, with the lid/foil on, for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Remove the dish from the oven, sprinkle with pul biber and fresh flat leaf parsley and allow to rest, covered with the lid / foil, for 30 minutes before serving with the garlic yoghurt, fresh salad and crusty bread.
