How to Make Greek Beef Stuffed Onions (Salantourmasi) | Food Wishes

[@doloresparlato]

I had an Iraqi woman cook this for my lunch after I'd taken her to her OBGYN appt back in the late 90's; she used smaller yellow onions and did not cook them first, just cut them carefully and separated the layers. The filling expanded at the same time the onion cooked. And she added LOTS of lemon to the broth. It was lovely to watch her work; she spoke no English, her hospitality spoke volumes.

[@muschip]

Iraqi here, that was our recipe version called Dolma! Delicious stuff. Can be put in zucchini, onion, tomato, grape leaves, it's endless.

[@doloresparlato]

@@muschip Lovely recipe, lovely people! I have all the ingredients, I should make this tonight!

[@Herp234]

That’s called Dolma (دولمة ) and it has similarities to this recipe but is quite different. They use lots of lemon, dill, pomegranate molasses, baharat, etc. Very flavorful.

[@expo1706]

@@Herp234 It's called dolma the greek way too, but stuffed in grape leaves.

[@iBMcFly]

The most consistent and quality KZbin cooking channel of all time.

[@cieproject2888]

Chef John is the GOAT

[@hexzerone7034]

Absolutely ❤

[@Dany8437]

The rest aren’t even close

[@joace8575]

LOVE CHEF JOHN!

[@OlkaOve]

And no hike to that special monk with that special chili in the special hole.

[@Sokail87]

Greek here! I've been following you for more than a decade now - I think it's thirteen years - and you never ever cease to amaze. Oh, and of course I'm here for the recipes as much as I'm for the comfort and the puns.

[@InfiniteGatsu]

malaka

[@Sokail87]

@@InfiniteGatsu en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malacca

[@DenisiousGR]

Ο άνθρωπος είναι ✨ είδωλο ✨

[@jasonsmith2775]

Couldn't sleep last night. I had enough ingredients to make the stuffing mix. After making sure that the rice was tender, I poured the stuffing mix into a bowl to cool. I then finished with crumbled feta and herbs. This was perfect! Thanks, CJ! Still with you after 15 years!!

[@JohnWerfelman]

Looks good I’ll give ‘em a try

[@alienlifeform7268]

Your voice is like a rollercoaster 🎢

[@forrestc.8282]

Everything he says sounds like that one guy from Southpark he just needs to say m'kay

[@TommyCashLover420]

Mr. Mackey 😂 ​@@forrestc.8282

[@nanapam6376]

Lol I picked up on that too! 😂

[@etheriousjackal5577]

I've always noticed something with his voice but could never really describe it but that sums it up perfectly lol

[@Thor_b]

😂 accurate

[@jonjohns8145]

I first had these in Iraq from the mother of a friend of mine. They cook it on the stove (not oven) and use a thinned out sauce of Tomato and Pomegranate molasses. The resulting onions were almost candy sweet with a nice sharp tart flavor. One of the best things I ever ate in my life.

[@bagdaja6881]

Those you are talking about are called dolma, we use a multitude of different vegetables. Another somewhat similar dish is waraq al-eneb

[@misscleo378]

They sound delicious.

[@evonne315]

Sounds divine ❤

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I actually ate often at a Greek restaurant in Minnesota. If you visited there, you would be the Paul Bunyon of cooking your onion.

[@WobblesandBean]

The Steven Stills of your onion fills.

[@barrymalkin4404]

Twitchin' Timmy would like that. 🌝

[@deepism]

Christo's?

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

@@deepism No it was in a Western suburb.

[@deepism]

@@lawrencetaylor4101 Aye

[@tamarlidar]

The longer you cook stuffed onions, the better. I usually cook them for 3 hours at least, on low heat (150 c). I also make them with pomegranate sauce, which turns out delicious! Also, make sure to "wrap" them tight around the filling, and place them tightly next to each other so that they don't open up during cooking:)

[@dianeladico1769]

Can you share your sauce ingredients, please?

[@tamarlidar]

@dianeladico1769 I mix pomegranate molasses with some honey (if you have grape honey available, even better!), dijon mustard, fresh garlic, a squeeze of lemon, some chopped fresh mint, rosemary and parsley, black pepper, salt, baharat/Lebanese 7 spice, and if you have it - urfa pepper. I then add some of the cooking water from the onions. The sauce shouldn't be too runny, but not too thick either, as it could burn with the honey in it. This also goes very well with lamb mince, if you want to put some in the filling. Hope you enjoy it!😃

[@dianeladico1769]

@@tamarlidar That sounds fantastic, thank you so much! I'm making it your way.❤❤❤

[@yguiyughoi1728]

@@tamarlidarthat sounds fantastic

[@yguiyughoi1728]

@@tamarlidarI just googled “grape molasses”, and I intend to get some the next time I go shopping. I didn’t know that was a thing that existed

[@duncanluciak5516]

Big tip from Chef John: He understands that the first time is a learning experience.

[@AlteredCarbons]

john , thanks for all the wonderful dishes over the years. i used a lot of your cooking tips and recipes when i was cooking for my mother for the last 10-15 years. she passed recently and man i know she would of loved these. ima end up making a batch for me and my sibling to eat. thanks again mate

[@kimquinn7728]

I so appreciate that you explain your mishaps and how you would correct it. Very generous of you to do so. Cooking is creative and sometime art needs tweaking. I bet these are delicious! Thank you for all your effort and sharing.

[@Gil2727]

The best cooking shows show the oopsies and the corrective measures that could be taken. That's Cooking

[@kaanbalci]

Soğan (Onion) Dolması (Stuffed) is a common cultural heritage of Dolma (Stuffed) vegetables culture of Greek/Balkan/Turkish/Azerbeyjani/Turcic/Arabic/Armenian cuisines. The recipe and it's variations appear across cultures within all our georaphies as we all share a common cultural background. Not only historically, but also our way of cooking resemble so much alike. Thank you for giving a chance to this tasty recipe in your channel. As all can see, food is a major way that can bring cultures together. I hope everyone who tries them likes as much as we all do.

[@marie-suzankalogeropoulos9249]

That's what I answered @CITY, hereabove! Drop the flags and claims, and let's share our recipes AND ONIONS, for Pete's sake! I 'M sure you' ve always known these stuffed with lamb, and cinnamon - scented, but further south, they'll put cubeb pepper and chillies and blow your brains clean, from crying😂! Since I don't like onions, especially when they 're stewed (unless they vanish, like in pasta alla Genovese), I' ll pass this one, and wait for an okra - bamies inspiration... ❤ From Paris

[@kalex888]

Why are Turks ALWAYS in the replies of anything Greek. Get over yourselves and settle down. You all come across as insecure and pathetic every time.

[@TristanBehrens]

Much more refreshing than the usual "IT'S NOT GREEK IT'S TURKISH"

[@ivanhuzjan438]

I was just thinking the same going over the comments 😊 Greetings from Serbia!

[@tasadem20]

Yep, even the name of the dish sounds so similar to Sogan(Salan) Dolmasi (tourmasi) 😊

[@Bucketus.Lord.of.Buckets]

The stuffing cooked in the pan looks good enough to eat on its own

[@johnrockett4988]

Food wishes is something I used to watch when I was in a good place in life when these videos pop up I get strong nostalgia

[@kathlynterry8196]

I love that you nestled the rolls on top of the rejected onions!

[@jameshobbs6092]

Here! Here! Never thought of that.

[@michaelnaylor-hodgkinson991]

I hadn't seen you for a while and your stuff is always my stuff. You always hit my sweet spot with food I love. Once you added the raw mince to the mix I knew I was home.

[@scottvogel8477]

I was having a bit of a bad day and watching this made it less bad. Thank you.

[@Ibogaman]

I'm Greek and never heard of this recipe! Omg Thank you! (Also an original variant from kastelorizo uses shallots)

[@Fireball_Roberts]

Once you notice that Chef John is a perfectionist it becomes funny to watch. I knew when he dropped that tiny piece of beef at 0:29 it wouldn't take him long to notice and pick it up.

[@navdhillon7912]

One of the best classic Zinger's from food wishes you are the Zeus of your herb use. Wow fantastic

[@chipacabra]

I do the "brown a little bit, put the rest in raw" technique for a lot of ground beef recipes. It works a treat in anything you're going to slow cook, like stuffed rolls or sauces. I think I stole the idea from one of Kenji's bolognese recipes. It's great because you can push the browning even further and get lots of fond without turning all of your beef into sawdust by the time it's all done cooking.

[@Sphereshoc]

Thank you man. I love food and I'm trying to get into cooking. This isn't something people typically see when brought to a gathering. This looks awesome, can't wait to try it out!

[@juststeve1539]

My wife's dad is from Baghdad. We do something similar to this whenever we make dolmas, except the beef is finely chopped or fresh ground on a coarse setting, stuffed into the onions raw and the flavors include some extra items like sumac and citric acid.

[@davidhuerta1846]

Thankyou for this recipe! I'm going to try and cook this for my buddy at work. His wife and family is Greek. I always cook him something cool to experience. With all the culture's foods. More Greek recipes!:)

[@konstantinossfoungaris8474]

Thank you for showcasing this less-known recipe, it's very regional and not found everywhere. I've never made it and now you have demystified it for me! A few remarks from my side would be: - Yellow onions are OK, I'd use white onions if I could find them. I think there's a specific variety that's traditionally stuffed, I don't remember from which region. - I'd go for cinnamon and cumin rather than mint and oregano - Pine nuts and raisins are also a good addition here - More wine maybe? For me it instinctively evokes flavours of stifádo, so I'm taking it to this direction

[@CookChad]

we greeks love to stuff our vegetables! my grandma would approve chef john, excelent work!

[@alekat9429]

Exactly how we make it in Greece! Congrats once again for the accuracy

[@undisclosedmusic4969]

Κατσε ρε πως τα λεμε αυτα στην Ελλαδα; Εγω μονο κρεμμυδια γεμιστα τα ξερω, το τουρκικο πρωτη φορα το ακουω

[@fafasedareloaded1558]

Κρεμμυδοσαρμαδες. Τους έφαγα πρώτη φορά στην Μυτιλήνη.

[@fafasedareloaded1558]

Κρεμμυδοσαρμαδες. Τους έφαγα πρώτη φορά στην Μυτιλήνη.

[@marie-suzankalogeropoulos9249]

​@@undisclosedmusic4969Hi, Greek here (and no Greek keyboard OR spelling skills, to chime in 😅!), so as I was about to comment, no wonder I couldn't make head or tail of this name ? It's just not Greek in the first place ! You would be so kind as to put our good ol'Chef John at ease, he'd stop barking up the wrong tree 😂...

[@davidcarbone3385]

Looks very delicious, excited to try this since I have all the ingredients on hand, but for me a bit too liquidy but that's an easy fix, use less water.

[@ThunderChickenBucket]

Chef John you are also stuffing my soul with pleasure, so thanks for that.

[@inthefade]

I've been thinking of doing this for the past 6 months, but had never heard of an actual recipe for it. Quite cool to see one way to do it!

[@simonesalunga4128]

I can't believe I've been watching you for nearly 7 years now. keep on trucking chef john!

[@wheezysqueezebox7651]

What an attractive dish! Thanks, Chef John! 👍💙💚💛🧡❤️💜

[@archiox0628]

A man like Chef John (who's good at cooking) is sure to be someone who's an expert on stuffing a lot of things.

[@johnpontaoe3637]

I try cooking dishes like this for pro football games, since they take the longest out of all the American sports. Realistically I don't start prep early enough, the cooking happens during the game, and if I'm lucky I'm able to eat it before the end and while hoping it's a close score or even better if it goes to overtime. Reminds me I should put another TV in the kitchen. And after spending ALL THAT TIME on a recipe I appreciate Chef John's humorous humility (humor-ility?) to show issues eating the final product -- as if I were the one who cooked it. I hope he considers putting a compilation of hard-earned bloopers like this, especially those not so scripted, over all the years. Thanks from one John to another

[@billybofh2363]

I've done these before - but I smeared the stuffing all along the onion and rolled it up like a swiss roll. I don't remember them taking that long to cook - but it's been a while! Very delicious in any case!

[@dianeladico1769]

Great idea!

[@marie-suzankalogeropoulos9249]

You might well have stewed them on the stove-top which, IMO, might need a little less time. I might be wrong, but onions not being a "fleshy" veg', the oven's purpose-roasting- seems waisted on them. Besides, we would use smaller, finer farm-market onions in Greece, I believe, not those enormous forced babys !

[@windhelmguard5295]

@@marie-suzankalogeropoulos9249 i have heard of people using shallots, which are a lot smaller and have a more intense flavour

[@mphon.tramonyaduwa8093]

I love your content your corny jokes your cooking you make everything easy thank you ❤

[@HappyNarrative]

I’m new and something about listening to his voice while watching a delicious meal being made makes me very happy. Instant subscribe! I can’t wait to make this. ❤🍽️

[@paultuttle5730]

I love the novelty of this dish and it looks delicious! Cant wait to try it!! Thanks Chef John!

[@avgikyriazi1186]

Greek here! When my gran made a (huge) pan of stuffed vegetables, she always had stuffed local shallots along the tomatoes, bell peppers, aubergines, zucchini and zucchini flowers. She used the inside of the scalded onions in the stuffing though, and instead of beef, she added currants and pine nuts. The first two weeks of august is a fast, so no meat.

[@mhariclare1]

I’ll def try this….but I’ll make it in the crockpot for 6-8 hrs….might take care of the onions and thicken that sauce a bit more ❤️🇨🇦❤️

[@GuusvanLienen]

Hi John. Looks delicious! The mother of my greek brother-in-law also parboils the rice for about 10 mins and overlaps the rolls. But she preheats the oven to 425 deg in stead of 375 deg. It then takes about 40 mins with cover and 30 mins without.

[@crescentb3am]

Good to see you're still healthy!

[@ironox8480]

Ok how am I just now learning about this. Onions, stuffed with beef. Oh I need to try this, this sounds amazing!

[@dassochaing2384]

The recipe looks really delicious.

[@fiveminutezen]

Chef John, were those onions from Costco? BTW... I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!! Stuffing onions sounds so much better than stuffing cabbage.

[@Crazykid_B]

@chef john... you know you've just basically made middle eastern dolma! .. better yey, the onion dolma.. usually it goes with (stuffedf) tomato dolma, eggplant dolma and grapeleave dolma.. 'But simmerd in a pot to create an amazing sauce in stead of in the oven.. so this is a simpler, probally a lot less flavourfull version of dolma! love it

[@mrsgingernoisette]

We do this too in Turkey, as soğan dolması LOL salantourmasi I love Greek language so much.. My favorite dishes are Greek/Turkish/Italian

[@md-dp5bo]

are you joking? what does greek language have to do with it since the name isnt even greek but turkish? its clear as day that its greek way of pronouncing sogan dolmasi.

[@getrealnow73]

you never cease to inspire & delight me. thank you

[@devrarayvals5871]

Thanks chef John. I love cooked onions especially ones done in the oven. This is the recipe for me !

[@NeganSmith-bb1fr]

In Bulgaria we stuff bell peppers in a similar fashion. Onions sounds like a lovely stinky alternative!

[@marie-suzankalogeropoulos9249]

😂😂😂

[@chompachangas]

Huh. Love it. Probably be good with ground sausage too.

[@clairewright8153]

These look delicious, I don’t think you make mistakes, I think you work out the kinks so we all get the best results. So thank you for doing that for us.

[@WobblesandBean]

Ooooo I wanna try this with short ribs!

[@saltycrow]

Well they look delicious. I think I could almost smell them there for a minute too. Thanks Chef John. Always awesome ❤

[@RogueLG]

As an onion lover I gotta try this

[@sunnylifecrochet]

I've made stuffed onions few times. I remember it was fun to make, fun to eat, I freezed them half made. Maybe it's a time to repeat the experience. Now I'll watch your onions👍👍👍

[@dsantamaria713]

Totally loving this! Next on the Menu!!! ❤

[@JazawaToad]

This never even crossed my mind, such a great idea! Once Fall rolls around I'm going to try and make these!

[@Blrtech77]

Food Wishes these look pretty tasty and easy to make. Thanks for Cooking and Sharing!

[@nikkkik]

Thank you for the inspiration, looks delicious. I think the onions are more tender if you remove the very thin skin of each layer.

[@marie-suzankalogeropoulos9249]

...and cry your eyes out for an extra while! OK, I know they're blanched, but this sounds like that British Conran lady going "life's too short to stuff a mushroom !", which of course she's wrong about : stuffed mushrooms are delicious. It's onions I don't care enough for 😂!

[@randytessman6750]

Been making this one for decades, my Mom did stuffed peppers as a kid. Later on I experimented and stuffed many other veggies, used two stuffings and the other is mostly cream cheese & bacon.

[@bobcaygeon4533]

Love your recipes and humour. I was looking for a pancake batter recipe ( I know kinda boring) a few years ago when I came across Food Wishes. Keep it up, great stuff.

[@Starbuck2005]

I’ve lead a very simple life 😊 and never heard of this before! Thank you for introducing me! I will try them very soon!

[@calebkindsvater4538]

This was my favorite dish in Greece! Maybe a little different...pistachios and lamb, but onion wrapped goodness...count me in.

[@shirleygiordano7627]

Sharing with my onion loving family. Looks yummy! 😊❤

[@YusufErenÇakıroğlu]

In Turkey, Gaziantep we have a similar dish called Onion Kebab or "Lazy Wife Dish". Onions cut in half, stuffed with meatballs roasted in an oven and pomegranate syrup to add sweetness while also preventing it from drying.

[@kiltlvr]

I’ve been waiting for cool weather to make these. I saw a version made by a Turkish cook on Instagram and here you are, Chef, teasing me with yours. I bet some cabbage used to line the bottom of the baking dish would result in extra tastiness even if it’s not authentic. 🤤

[@dropdeadfrd9951]

I am making this today . It looks delicious. Thank you.

[@yunggeist3211]

Looks fantastic. Nearly forgot about your channel Chef John!

[@ricodog3652]

My Yia Yia used to make a similar recipe with an egg and lemon sauce in one dish and then another pan with tomato sauce. Good stuff.

[@altrogeruvah]

Salantourmasi! That's a deep cut of a recipe, even for Greek standards, but it's a popular choice in local mageireia (home cuisine restaurants) and I personally love it as well

[@acc55pitt]

Delightful to get this glimpse into what Mr. Plinkett does while Mike and Jay are at the movies.

[@neuvocastezero1838]

Looks delish, only thing missing is a layer of cheese on top, and maybe some yogurt dipping sauce.

[@m1986mmm]

Bread

[@NocturnalButterfly]

Definitely making these and also trying my 👋 at a veggie version. Thanks for sharing!! 💋🦋

[@wendistewart2774]

Wow! Thank you for all the tips. You have made it seem less daunting.

[@user-ik4xq9hm1x]

Cooked rice will absorb the flavour just fine,most of which you will have cooked away in the time it takes to soften raw rice with this method.

[@Ginronmaster1994]

I made these and they were super tasty, i did feel like they were missing a little something but I'm not sure what. Maybe ill add a little more cayenne and some rosemary next time. Thanks for the recipe!

[@toniamcdonald1838]

Yum-O! I love onions. Looks tasty. 👍🏽

[@durch_meine_Augen]

Wow! I have to make these. My mom isn't a fan of bell pepper so I never make them, but I think she'd like this.

[@AW-wq3pr]

As a middle eastern we used to stuffed the raw onion by the raw short grain rice (Egyptian rice) mixture. We called it Dolma or Mahshy ❤️❤️ Bon appetite ❤️

[@sretnazvijezda400]

Great recipe and presentation 👍 💞

[@ericmelhouse5179]

That looks amazing and I’m in a cooking dry spell. However the first thing I thought of was to combine that with Hungarian paprikash sauce. Thanks!

[@wildkingdom2012]

I've done stuffed peppers, but this is very interesting. Must try.

[@Msbabs31]

Love your videos!

[@creepingbert]

That tomato paste plop at 1:29. I don't know why, but it made ne giggle.

[@cherylb10]

My mouth is watering love onions

[@jimmymckay73]

Those look so amazingly delicious

[@tedarcher9120]

Stuffed bell peppers next? They are amazing

[@sammyhakimvlogs5608]

This Greek Beef Stuffed Onions recipe looks so delicious 😋 Chef John.

[@joruka81]

that beef and rice looks great on its own.

[@eightbll1017]

Going to have to try this. Except on the grill.

[@Montragon29]

Greek tip of the day...Most mothers or grandmothers here in Greece, always precook/brown the minced meat when making stuffed vegetables. One exception may be when making stuffed cabbage leaves where a mix of beef and pork mince is used and because they boil in the pot under a heavy plate to keep their shape, you can "overcook" them, so to speak, without drying the interior, which needs to be firm but juicy and moist. Other than that great recipe. Approved! Salantourmasi (stuffed onions) is originated from Kastellorizo in Greece. Its a very remote island that has only 180 permanent residents but has some unique dishes. Also, the intonation is on the "ntou" syllable, So its not Salantourmàsi but Salant(oú)rmasi...Greek captain flying away....

[@JohnSmith-cw5hs]

very interesting!

[@wardrobelion]

I think this recipe would work well in a crockpot. Yummy choice of recipe 👍

[@chcgo2undaground]

How about boiling the onions longer to get them more tender? And take the outside onion pieces and cut them shorter and maybe get two rolls out of one onion skin layer?

[@suejohnson3972]

Looks delicious Chef John !!😋

[@hollyjasinski7207]

I had a chef tell me last week that using fresh oregano is a no-no for traditional Greek cooking, and that only dried oregano is usually used. Has anyone else ever heard that?

[@barrymalkin4404]

Not just Greek, but Lidia Bastianich often says she prefers dried to fresh oregano in her cooking, which she says is the exception to her rule of only using fresh herbs.

[@shawnmiller4781]

I haven’t heard that but having grown up in small villages in Alaska all we ever saw generally were dried herbs for shipping and storage purposes. But when we flew into town my grandfather grew some great parsley in his garden Potatoes too but that’s another story

[@marie-suzankalogeropoulos9249]

Unless you enjoy the luxury of a private garden, like Chef John does, a Greek wouldn't even bother to grow what's at hand, a few feet away, in the country side, due to currant climate and land. And since drying herbs is a basic preservation means, and the resins in the plant develop and stabilize, they'll rarely use it fresh just because they always have a dry bunch hanging around at hand, and will dry carefully the following batch, to make sure it lasts them out through the whole winter. And that's how a preservation mode turns into an acquired taste and tradition 😊, maybe more than a "rule of thumb", let's say... ❤ from Paris

[@Hollis_has_questions]

I have ground chicken in my freezer, so that’s what I’ll use. Tomato paste + pomegranate molasses + chicken stock, fennel + caraway seeds, roasted sesame + walnut + garlic paste, duxelles, grated carrots, parsley + cilantro + fresh/dried mint, castelvetrano olives + diced dried apricots/zereshk/cranberries/currants/golden raisins/loomi, barley and/or buckwheat + toasted breadcrumbs, fresh-cracked white pepper + feta + sumac + watercress/arugula, too. Hurricane Milton is telling me to use up what I have on hand.

[@sharkkebunni]

Looks beautiful 🧅🍅 and I like stuffed vegetable recipes, stuffed capsicums and tomatoes are my favourite, now I have 1 more to add thank you Chef John.🧅

[@brianwhite9555]

Another good(and quicker) way to put this together would be to layer 1" wide slices of prepared(boiled) onion in the bottom of dish, top that with the meat & rice mixture, then top off with another layer of 1" onion slices. Like a layered casserole, but with the same flavor profile. Could be served up with a large slotted spoon with extra juice spooned on top. Bon Appitit! :)

[@drakejdf]

it's been awhile but i love the rustychicken.

[@kabdoun]

Now i cant wait for you to do some other stuffed veggies... cabbage, vine leaves, tomatos, etc... some Med/Middle Eastern stuff that i think u will absolutely love