Instructions: " This is a vegetarian version of a Bedouin dish. If you serve it with rice, try adding saffron or tumeric to the rice before cooking. It adds a distinctive flavor as well as color, creating red rice." Peel the onions and place them in a large pan of boiling water.

Reduce the heat and let them simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered, until they are fairly tender. When they are ready, take them out and set aside to cool.

Now remove the centre section of each onion, to leave a shell about 3/4 inch thick.

In a bowl, mix together the lentils, pepper, salt, yogurt, dates, walnuts, raisins or sultanas and bread crumbs.

Fill the onions with this mixture. Keep any that remains and mix it with the chopped discarded onion centres.

Place the filled onions in an oven proof dish, spoon any remaining mixture around them and cook for about 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley ands serve with bulgur or red rice (see note above).

SERVES:4

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