🧅 Stuffed Onions from Samos – Traditional Onion Dolmades with Avgolemono

🛒 Ingredients (serves 4–6)

For the onions:

8–10 large yellow onions
½ cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons

For the filling:

300 g ground beef (or lamb)
1 cup Carolina rice
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
½ bunch dill
½ bunch parsley
Salt, pepper, a little olive oil
Optional: cinnamon, nutmeg

For the avgolemono:

2 eggs
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp cornstarch (optional)

The dolma reinvented – sweeter, deeper, unmistakably Samos

Onion dolmades, or stuffed onions, are one of the most unique and delicious dishes of traditional Samian cuisine. These are dolmas with a twist: instead of vine leaves, we use tender, blanched onion layers. They're filled with a mixture of rice, ground beef, and herbs, simmered in olive oil and lemon, and finished with a luscious avgolemono (egg-lemon) sauce.

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. Blanch the onions

Trim the roots and boil the whole onions for 10–15 minutes. Let them cool and carefully peel them layer by layer to create thin, rollable “leaves.”

2. Make the filling

Sauté the chopped onion in a little oil. Add the ground meat, rice, spring onions, dill, parsley, and spices. Stir well and let the mixture cool slightly.

3. Roll the dolmades

Take each onion layer and place 1 tablespoon of filling inside. Roll tightly like a dolma. Arrange the rolls snugly in layers in a deep pot.

4. Cook

Pour in the lemon juice, olive oil, and just enough water to cover. Place a plate on top to keep them in place. Simmer over low heat for 45–50 minutes.

5. Prepare the avgolemono

Beat the eggs and mix with lemon juice and optional cornstarch. Temper by slowly adding some of the hot cooking liquid. Then pour into the pot and swirl gently to coat.