Description
The shallot is the most refined member of the onion family: it forms small bulbs divided into cloves, like garlic, with coppery skin and pinkish flesh that tastes sweet and only slightly pungent.
It is perfect when you want a gentle soffritto that won't cover other flavours: in pumpkin soups, vegetable sauces and risotto. Very thinly sliced, it can also be used raw, in a vinaigrette or a salad.
Cook it over low heat, because it burns easily and turns bitter. In many recipes it can replace onion: two shallots are roughly equivalent to one small onion.
It is perfect when you want a gentle soffritto that won't cover other flavours: in pumpkin soups, vegetable sauces and risotto. Very thinly sliced, it can also be used raw, in a vinaigrette or a salad.
Cook it over low heat, because it burns easily and turns bitter. In many recipes it can replace onion: two shallots are roughly equivalent to one small onion.
