Skip to main content

Mahshi Bassal

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4-8

Ingredients

4 large Spanish onions, peeled
Meat filling (page 306)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Boil the onions whole in water for 30 minutes, until they are tender, and drain. When they have cooled a little, cut in half crosswise and remove the centers, leaving a shell of about 3 layers and patching any little holes left at the bottom with pieces of onion.

    Step 2

    Prepare the filling and stuff the onions with it. Place them side by side in a baking dish. Mix 1 cup water with the tomato paste, add salt and pepper, and pour into the bottom of the dish. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 40–50 minutes.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
Read More
Crisp, buttery shell. Soft, flaky center. Cry!
This picadillo-inspired topping would taste good on a shoe.
Enchiladas meet pumpkin in this cozy weeknight dinner.
A fam-favorite, 30-minute dinner we have on repeat.
The Thanksgiving staple makes for a stellar weeknight dinner.
Canned pumpkin, you shouldn’t have!
A sheet-pan wonder with lots of crispy rice.
A fancy-feeling dish that comes together in 20 minutes.