A rich and comforting dish that pairs the sweetness of roasted onions with the depth of haggis, finished with tamarind and butter, this recipe is shared by award-winning author and Dame Ghillie Basan from her book, Food, Whisky, Life, and celebrates bold flavour, warmth, and the joy of gathering around the table.
Known as a ‘dolma’ in Turkey or as ‘makshi basal’ in parts of the Middle East, these onions are traditionally stuffed with an aromatic mixture of minced lamb and rice but for my whisky feasts I use haggis. I love surprising my guests with
different ways of enjoying haggis as it is one of our own traditional foods to be proud of and it is made for a robust sweet or smoky whisky. Large golden or red onions are ideal for this dish as the layers can be easily unravelled, stuffed, and rolled up again and, to go with them, I often prepare a quick pickle of julienned orange swede, or white turnip with a slice of beetroot to impart a pink tinge.
Serves 4-6
4 big onions, peeled and left whole
1 haggis
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 teaspoons runny honey
1 tablespoon butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a small bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped for garnishing
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Preheat oven to 400F/mark 6/200C
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Cut each onion down one side from the top to the bottom and pop them into the boiling water for about 10 minutes, until they are soft and begin to unravel. Lift the onions out of the pot and refresh
under running cold water.. Add the haggis to the pot, simmer for 40 minutes,
and slit open.
Separate the onion layers and spread them out on a clean surface. Place a spoonful of haggis onto each one. Roll them up, tucking in the ends, and pack them into a heavy-based pot or oven dish. Mix together the olive oil, tamarind
paste, and honey with roughly 125ml water and pour it over the stuffed onions. Season with salt and pepper, cover the pot with a lid, or aluminium foil, and pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Melt the butter in small pot, pour it over the stuffed onions, and place them back in the oven, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until nicely browned on top and slightly caramelized.
Arrange the stuffed onions on a serving dish and drizzle the tamarind butter over them. Garnish with the parsley and serve hot with wedges of lemon to squeeze over them.