I've never heard of cippolini onions, but here are some recipes you could try. I've also stuffed them with leftover spag.bol sauce. Love stuffed onions! So where's your recipes for the spinach-stuffed ones, huh?

Stuffed Onions (1)
4 large white onions
breadcrumbs
125g grated swiss cheese
cream
parsley
1 cup cooked rice
salt and pepper to taste
thyme sprigs, for garnish

Hollow out onions, leaving at least 2-3 layers of rings, then blanch them until they are softened, about 9-10 minutes. Saute the onion pieces removed from about 2 of the onions in a little butter. Mix this with enough breadcrumbs to bind the mixture together and then add enough cream to moisten the mixture. Add cooked rice, and salt and pepper. Stuff onion-rice mixture back into onion shells, garnish with more grated swiss and thyme. Bake at 180C just to reheat and melt cheese topping.

Stuffed Onions (2)
6 large onions
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, soaked in 1/2 cup milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely ground almonds
large pinch ground cloves
large pinch sugar
1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk
6 teaspoons butter

Preheat oven to 200°C. Trim tops of onions, but leave root ends intact. Peel onions. In a large saucepan of boiling water to cover, cook onions for 5 minutes. Remove from water, let cool, and cut 2cm off top of each. Scoop out interior, leaving a thin shell. Finely chop tops and interiors. In a medium bowl, combine chopped onion, soaked bread crumbs, whole eggs, cheese, almonds, cloves and sugar. Stir thoroughly. Stuff cavity of each onion with filling, packing it down. Place onions in a buttered baking dish. Brush outside of each onion with egg-milk mixture and top with 1 teaspoon butter. Cover loosely with aluminium foil and bake 1 1/2 hours.

Stuffed Onions (3)
6 large onions
2 tablespoons oil
500g minced beef
2 tablespoons chopped green capsicum
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 sliced cheddar cheese
250g tin tomato puree

Peel onions, cook in boiling, salted water about 30 minutes or until tender yet firm. Drain and cool. Slice off top one-third of each onion and cut out centre to make cups. Chop 1/2 cup of the centres and saute in oil with beef and capsicum for 5 minutes. Mix in breadcrumbs, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Fill onion cups with meat mixture. Place stuffed onions in a shallow dish. Top onions with cheese strips. Pour tomato sauce over all. Baste occasionally. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes.

Stuffed Onions (4)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 large Spanish onions, peeled
1 tablespoon butter
60g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup cooked rice
250g pecans, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
pinch nutmeg

Pour 3cm of water into a large saucepan, add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and bring to the boil over high heat. Cut 2cm from the tops of the onions to make a flat surface. Add the onions to the water, return to the boil and reduce the heat to moderate. Cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes or until the onions are almost tender but retain their shape. Meanwhile melt the butter in a frypan over moderately low heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Drain the onions on a platter lined with paper toweling. When cool enough to handle gently scoop out the insides with a serving spoon, leaving the shells 1cm thick. Make sure that the bottom of each shell remains intact. Chop up the pulp. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix 1 cup of the chopped pulp, the mushrooms, rice, pecans, egg and salt, thyme, pepper and nutmeg until well blended. Stuff the onions with equal amounts of mixture and place in a lightly greased baking dish. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes, uncover, bake 10 minutes longer.

Stuffed Onions (5)
6 large onions, peeled
1 cup mashed sweet potato
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 180°C. Peel onions and boil in salted water to cover for 15-20 minutes or until onions are tender but not falling apart. Cool slightly and take out centres. Mix sweet potato with remaining ingredients. Stuff onions with the mixture. Put onions in baking dish with 3mm water in bottom. Bake onions for 30 minutes.

Not mine, Daisy, Time-Life's.

Onions Stuffed with Spinach & Pine Nuts

6 medium onions (abou 1 3/4 lbs) 1/2 cup currants
1/2 tsp safflower oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 lb spinach, washed and stemmed 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tbls orange zest 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbls fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs

Level the bottoms of the onions. Discard the ends and peel the onions. Cut a 1/2-inch thick slice off the top of each onion and set the tops aside. With a melon baller or a grapefruit spoon, hollow out the onions, forming shells with walls approximately 1/2 inch thick. Reserve the centers.

Steam the onions shells until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife--10-15 minutes. Set the shells aside.

Meanwhile, put the currants in a small bowl and pour in just enough water to cover them. Set the bowl aside to allow the currents to plump.

Finely chop the onion tops and centers. In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft but not browned, five to seven minutes.

Add the spinach, cover the skillet, and cook until the spinach is wilted---about three minutes. Uncover the skillet, add the salt, and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated--five to seven minutes more. Transfer the onion-spinach mixture to a large bowl and let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Drain the currants and add them to the onion-spinach mixture. Add the yogurt, pine nuts, zest and nutmeg, and mix well. Pour out and discard any liquid that has accumulated in the onion shells, and spoon the stuffing into them.

Spread the remaining stuffing on the bottom of a small baking dish; set the filled onion shells on the stuffing. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the stuffed onions and bake the onions for 20-25 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and preheat the broiler. Broil the onions just long enough to crisp the bread crumbs.

Serve the onions with a little stuffing from the bottom of the dish spooned alongside each portion.

Cippolini are an Italian heirloom that's gotten to be quite popular in the U.S. The onions are round and flattish. A big one will go about 2 1/2 inches wide by 1+ inches high. They are very sweet. As a result they don't keep real long.

I like the sound of some of yours. Soon as I convert them to real measurements I'll give them a try. :>)

I made the ones with spinach and pine nuts last night, and they came out nicely. If anyone tries it, though, I would cut the orange zest way down. A tbls. is kind of overpowering. Maybe a teapsoon would be more appropriate.

Two other things I did differently, FWIW. First, I plumped the currents in Marsala rather than water, for some extra flavor. And I didn't realize we were out of yoghurt, and used sour cream instead. In the future I'd continue using it, as it works well.

I know that someone has a stuffed onion recipe with baked beans but I can't find it. I'll be up at my cottage next week - I'll see if I have it up there.

Sorry, GL, I seldom stuff them, I just grill/bake/roast them. I place the onion on a sheet of foil, cut several times through the onion, but not all the way through, so I have wedges, like a flower. Add a drizzle of olive oil and another of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring the foil up around the onion so the top stays open and either grill or bake until done.

Annie

I'd never stuffed them before either, Annie. But it just sounded intriguing. Now I'm in love with the idea, as you get to combine several tastes/textures in a visually appealing package.

I do something similar on the grill. Mix about a cup balsamic vinegar with salt, pepper, and a head of garlic, with the cloves mashed.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until vinegar is reduced by half. Add an equal volume of olive oil and a couple of teaspoons of mixed, chopped fresh herbs.

This is good for all veggies, not just onions. It's especially good with fresh shitakes.

Soak the veggies about 20 minutes, then pop on the grill and cook until done.

I have no idea how they'd turn out on a gas grill. But over charcoal it's Katie bar the door.

GL, although I have a gas grill, most of the things I cook on it turn out "charcoaled" anyway. My motto is "when it's black, it's done". My attention span is too short, I try to do something else and well.....I'm a bad, bad griller.

Annie

Mock French Onion Soup

First, scoop out an onion (about the size of a soft ball) and make a bowl out of if. mince up the onion innards and hold till later. Depending on the size of the onion, put one or two beef bullion cubes into the scooped out onion. An onion about the size of a soft ball would need two cubes. Add 1/4 stick of butter and remaining minced onion to 3/4 full and top remaining space with Mozzarella cheese. Wrap each onion in aluminum foil leaving an opening for the steam to get out and put in a raised dish and bake at 350 degrees until everything is cooked and melted. Do not bake too long as onion bowl may fall apart. usually about 1/2 hour will be enough! ENJOY!

Hi Gardenlad, I just found this one.

Posted by: chase (My Page) on Wed, Apr 14, 04 at 8:45
The onions made me think of a side we love on the BBQ..... another Steve Raichlen recipe!

Country Style BBQ Onions

8 medium Vidalias
1 can Bush country style baked beans
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 stick (4 TBSP) butter cup in 8 pieces, room temp
2 strips cooked bacon cut into 8 pieces of 2" each
fresh ground black pepper

Peel the onions. Carefully hollow out the onions leaving the base in tact. Chop the onion pieces you hollowed out and mix with the baked beans, brown sugar and BBQ sauce. Spoon mixture into the onions and top with the butter and bacon. Sprinkle with pepper. Grill onions on the grill using indirect heat and medium heat (350 degrees) for 40-60 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Notes: I use my own BBQ baked bean recipe. I often add some chipoltes in adobo sauce to the beans instead of BBQ sauce. Super served with pork tenderloin, ribs or chops.

This recipe isn't for stuffed onions but such a lovely dish! I hope you don't mind my sharing it here.

These can be served hot or room temperature. Great with steaks!

Cipollini Onions with Balsamic Glaze

3/4 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 (3 inch ) stick Cinnamon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole clove
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 pounds Cipollini onions, peeled

Preheat oven to 400* F.
Combine stock , vinegar, oil, cinnamon stick, minced garlic, clove, sugar, and salt in shallow baking dish large enough to fit onions, in a single layer, yet snug.
Add onions and toss to coat.
Cover and roast for 20 minutes.
Remove cover and discard cinnamon stick and clove.
Continue to bake 30 minutes more (or until onions have caramelized).

Serves ~ 6

VAGardenGirl, that sounds terrific! And it will give me another way of using up some of these cippolinis. Thanks for posting it.

Woodie: It's kind of ironic. I was experimenting with a bean filling. I don't care of any of the Bush's beans, though.

Tonight we're having Basal Mahshi, which is a different kind of stuffed onion, from the Persian Gulf States. It doesn't work with the cippolini, because they're too small, as you'll see:

Basal Mahshi

tamarind pulp the size of a walnut
1 cup warm water, divided
5 large onions
1 1/2 lbs ground lamb
1/2 cup long grain rice
1 1/2 tsp Baharat
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt
Black pepper
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tbls tomato paste
2 tbls chopped parsley
1 tbls oil
1 tbls melted butter or oil
2 tsp sugar

Soak tamerind in 1/2 cup warm water for 30 minutes. Strain into a bowl, pressing with bak of spoon to separate pulp. Reserve liquid and discard seeds and fibers.

Peel onions and carefully cut out root with a pointed knife. Slit onion on one side through to the center, cutting from top to root end.

Drop onions into boiling water and cook gently for 8-10 minutes until softened. Drain and cool.

In a mixing bowl thoroughly combine ground lamb with rice, baharat, turmeric, seasons to taste, tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley and oil.

Separate onion layers carefully. Outer layers may be cut in half, leave inner layers intact.

Place about a tablespoonful of meat mixture on a layer of onions and roll upl firmly.

Grease a heavy pan with butter or oil and pack rolls in pat with seam down. Sprinkle layers lightly with salt.

Combine tamarind liquid with remaining 1/2 cup water and the sugar and pour over rolls.

Invert a heavy plate on top to keep rolls intact during cooking, and cover pan with lid.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce to low and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours. Serve hot.

Source: Tess Mallos in "The Complete Middle East Cookbook."

You're welcome, gardenlad!

Gardenlad I don't care for Bush beans either so I use my own concoction. It is actually based on canned beans but doctored to our taste. I use canned limas, kidneys and great northerns along with a jar of my homemade chile sauce and dijon mustard. Nice side with any BBQ cut of pork.

Sounds like a winner, Chase.