Shallots – the tolerant, mild mannered onion

Shallots. Allium cepa

"Shallots? What are shallots?" That's what many people say when I cite the virtues of this veggie.

And it's too bad, because this mild-mannered member of the onion family is easy to grow, doesn't mind cold or droughts, tolerates poor soil better than regular onions, and stores well. You can also cultivate shallots successfully in a wide container.

Shallots have lovely delicate flavour if gently sautéed in oil (high heat makes them bitter) and they're a major ingredient of Béarnaise sauce – sadly, shunned everywhere because of its high butter content.

In Europe, they're standard fare. My sister, who lives in Paris, makes a sumptuous pasta sauce of shallots, steamed broccoli and Roquefort cheese. Yum, it's good.

To grow them, buy a bag of baby shallot bulbs (called sets) in spring. Some garden centres sell them. The red-skinned, small kind have the best flavour. Once the weather warms up, make small holes in the soil, drop bulbs in, push soil back around them, leaving tips showing. Weed – they don't like competition from other plants – and water if you remember. That's it.

Shallots do best in full sun and develop in small clusters, which you split apart into individual "onions" at harvest time. The way they grow is actually fascinating to watch. They're ready to pull out when the tops go brown and fall over.

I'm harvesting mine now and contemplating a Canuck version of that dreamy pasta sauce. Would a strong Ontario goat cheese work instead of pricey Roquefort, I wonder?

 

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Best-selling gardening author Sonia Day's latest book is The Plant Doctor.

 

 

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