Onion Stuffed with Ground Meat and Pine Nuts

Ingredients
6 medium unpeeled Onion
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 minced Garlic
10 ounces lean ground pork or beef
1 cup chopped fresh dill
2/3 cup coarse bulgur
1/2 cup dry Red Wine
1 tlbsp. tomato paste, dissolved in 2 tlbsp. warm water
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper or pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated hard myzithra, kefalotyri or pecorino
Romano cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 cups grated ripe tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup beef stock, chicken stock or water
Salt
Pepper
3 tlbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a length-wise slit on each onion all the way to the center d add to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons salt and simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes, or until ¬soft. With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions a colander and rinse under cold running water. With a very sharp knife, trim off the top and bottom of each onion and peel off and discard the n and the second layer if it is tough. Gently h out the center of each onion, leaving about r outer layers, and chop the centers. Carefully rate the remaining onion layers and place m on paper towels to drain. (The onion layers be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated with the chopped-onion centers in a separate container for up to 2 days.) In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauce the chopped-onion centers over medium heat for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the pork or beef and sauté, stirring, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in the dill, bulgur, wine, tomato-paste mixture ¬and pepper or pepper flakes and remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese, pine and salt to taste and let the filling slightly. Taste and adjust the pings, then stir in the eggs. Reheat the oven to 4oo°F. Place about 2 tablespoons filling on each onion layer and roll up to enclose the filling. (The inner layer will need less stuffing, the outer e.) Arrange the stuffed onions close together and seam side down in a 13-x-9 inch baking dish. Make the sauce In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the tomatoes with the bay leaf and oregano for 5 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from the heat, add the wine and pour the sauce over the stuffed onions. Add enough stock to come two-thirds of the way up the onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place the onions in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake, basting the onions frequently with the sauce, for 45 minutes, or until the onions are soft and the sauce is thickened. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or until cool, to let the flavors develop. Baste the onions again with the sauce and reheat in a preheated 375°F oven for about 15 minutes, basting twice. Remove the bay leaf, sprinkle the onions with the parsley and serve.