Indespensible tips for cooking shallots
Shallots are the annoying (and fiddly) little brother of onions, and their cumbersome nature often gets them left out of recipes. But shallots have an unrivalled, delicate flavour that should be savoured, so we found the best tips to make preparing the little beggars that little bit easier.
1.
Peeling shallots can be made much easier if you let them steep in a bowl of recently boiled water for 10 minutes. Then the outer skin just rubs off.
2.
To reduce your eyes watering when chopping them, freeze them for five minutes beforehand. You must have a very sharp knife and a damp board. Cut them in half from root to tip, then place the shallot, cut side down, on the chopping board. Make horizontal cuts toward the root, leaving the root intact. Then cut crosswise into pieces of desired fineness.
3.
You can chop shallots much more finely than onions because the layers are thinner. Round shallots are fantastic to use whole. Just throw them in to stews, with other roast vegetables to get a delicious sweet veg accompaniment that subtly takes on the flavour of the other ingredients.
Try this great Shalott recipie here
More from Vegetarian blog
Tomatoes you grow yourself are gorgeous things, rich, sweet-yettart, and as they come in an array of hues, from orange, yellow and gold to bright green, your summer salad will be awash with vibrant colours. Plus, the odd shapes they grow into (think pear-shaped, finger length and as fat a lemon) add a little character too. Here’s how to grow your own
Herb butters are fabulous for quick-and-easy garlic bread, or jazzing up roasted veggies in an instant. plus, they're very simple to make
We all enjoy the finer things in life, but there are some people willing to pay a small fortune to chow down on a real treat! We track down some of the world’s poshest, and priciest, nosh.
Feel like a calamity in the kitchen? You might just be on track to inventing a world famous recipe Read on for some favourite ‘mistoveries’ over the centuries, and the weird and wonderful stories behind them.
Bulbous, mild and fleshy; these purple gems are versatile and add depth to many dishes. However, if you get it wrong they can be bitter, soggy or chewy. Do them justice with these failsafe tips.
