Stuffed vegetables make a great main course when you’re trying to eat healthily or lose weight, and they look good too so can form the centre piece of a dinner party.
These two recipes are adapted from Victorian recipes which appear in ‘Early Vegetarian Recipes’ (see http://www.offmotorway.co.uk) and are simple to make.
Spanish Onions Stuffed
6 large Spanish onions
25g / 1 ounce cooked vermicelli or rice
1 tblsp bread crumbs
1 tblsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp skimmed milk
1 tsp chopped parsley
½ tsp salt
¼ teaspoon grated lemon rind
½ teaspoon mixed herbs
¼ teaspoon pepper
Olive oil for baking
Boil the onions in salted water for 10 minutes, then remove the skins and scoop out the centres, chop these very fine and add to the other ingredients, including the egg, and stir well. Fill the onions with this mixture, place them in a baking dish brushed lightly with oil, cover and bake 45 minutes, or until onions are beginning to brown.
Serve with a a green vegetable such as broccolli and vetetarian gravy or tomato sauce.
Baked Vegetable Marrow with Onions and Sage
A large marrow
A pinch of salt
2 onions chopped
1 tbls sage chopped (or 1 tsp dried sage)
½ tblsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Wash and cut the marrow in half lengthways. Scrape out the seeds and fibres. Rub the marrow over inside and out with a little salt and let it drain for an hour. Meanwhile cook the chopped onions in the oil, over a low heat. Mix the onions, sage and salt and pepper. Fill up the halves of the marrows with the mixture. Close them and tie together with a little string. lightly oil a dish, and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 45 minutes or until the marrow is soft. Serve with a brown sauce and a mixed salad.