Prop Styling and Photography Chay Berger, Miriam (Pascal) Cohen
Food Prep Leah Hamaoui

These heavenly stuffed and roasted onions are a welcome change from the typical Pesach veggie sides. The pomegranate reduction lends a note of sophistication to an amazingly tasty dish that had me sampling way too many to count!

SERVES 8

• 16–18 mini yellow onions (the size of tangerines)
• 1 large head garlic
• 1 lb (450 g) ground beef, lamb, or a combination (not extra lean)
• 2 tsp salt
• ¾ tsp pepper
• 1½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp chili flakes, can be omitted
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 small potato, grated
• 1 Japanese eggplant, cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) wedges
• olive oil, for drizzling
• 3 Tbsp Tuscanini White Cooking Wine
• fresh parsley, for garnish
• pomegranate arils, for garnish

Pomegranate Reduction

• 2 cups 100% pomegranate juice
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ Tbsp lemon juice

To prepare the pomegranate reduction, place the pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 45–60 minutes until liquid is mostly reduced and slightly thickened. Set aside.

Wash and dry onions very well. If your minhag allows, leave the innermost peel on the onion to help it keep its shape during cooking. Slice the stems off the bottoms of the onions.

Beginning at the top, make a deep vertical cut down the center of each onion, slicing almost all the way through. Be careful not to slice the onion completely in half. Slice the top off the garlic head, exposing most of the cloves.

In a large bowl, combine the meat, spices, parsley, and potato, mixing very well until combined and slightly sticky. Stuff each onion with the meat mixture, dividing it evenly among them.

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).

Lightly grease a large oven-proof skillet and place the garlic head in the center. Pack the onions tightly into the skillet, filling in the extra spaces with the eggplant wedges. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and put the skillet in the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and add wine to the pan. Cover tightly with foil and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle entire dish with 3/4 of the pomegranate reduction, reserving the rest for serving. Return to oven and roast uncovered for 10–15 minutes.

Allow to rest, loosely covered, for about 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle with the reserved pomegranate reduction and garnish with fresh parsley and pomegranate arils. Serve immediately.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 888)