Stuffed Onions Don Pippo

The red Tropea onion has a mild, sweet flavour and is usually eaten raw in salads (see Insalata di Cipolle di Tropea). It is grown in Calabria, particularly in the area round the Capo Vaticano, a promontory on which stands the Tropea lighthouse. This recipe is dedicated to Pippo Benedetto, who has been the lighthouse keeper there for 32 years and has become a sort of local legend. When I cooked for him the look on his face was enough to co