Would you eat a whole shallot, yes or no?

Plus carrots, Artichoke University, and çilbir verde!

Welcome to the first episode of Justine Has Opinions and is Only Moderately Afraid to Share Them! A recurring series, pending audience feedback, of course.

But all jokes aside, today’s opinion is a deep-dive on the shallot. I live for a shallot, die for a shallot, am promptly planning for my first tattoo to be a picture of vinegar and a shallot, will name my next cat “Unpeeled Shallot” if they are difficult - you get it. And as someone whose career was born-and-bred on the internet (whose isn’t, nowadays?) my continuous thought was “if I show them that I eat jammy shallots whole, do I lose them forever.” It’s an anxious attachment style, very Ben Higgins of me.

Yet my opinion still stands. Shallots are hugely underutilized as a side dish. Or a main dish. I will eat one whole and I will love it.

Shallots, in their whole-or-halved form, cook down into magic. Fork-scooping, sauce-catching magic. They are sweet, soft but not unbearably so, hearty yet still a vegetable, and mold to the task you give them. I mostly love what they do texturally - jammy shallots melting into a grain bowl with a touch of salty feta? Help. Save me. I’m hooked.

Versions of jammy shallots are not a new thing, but I usually see them confined to the base of a sauce, the garnish for a chicken, or the start of a pasta. I’ve seen a few roasted shallot recipes that call for them to be served straight-up, but as a maximalist, I vote for more.

This might be a hot-take, it might be a not-take, I truly don’t know. I just know that in my old age I’ll be serving roasted shallots in thyme agrodolce at my Vermont B&B called “Chez Snacks.” They’re fantastic with sourdough.

And I didn’t forget about the rest of the week! Here’s everything else, that I’d equally argue deserves a spot on Chez Snacks menu:

The weekly round-up!

• Baked Cauliflower Salad with Feta and Dates - This one surprisingly got a lot of love! Check out the video here to see the cauliflower in its full glory, it might convince you ;)

• Turmeric Shallots with Crispy Buckwheat & Beans - the famous shallots I’m ranting and raving about! These are seared on both sides, then cooked down to get what I consider one of the best textures known to man. Pair it with crispy buckwheat and you have the best textures times two.

• Twirly Carrot Salad with Crispy Chickpeas - this is lemony, mustardy, exceptionally pungent and bright but in the best way. If you’re looking for a craveable way to eat veg, this is it.

• Çilbir Verde - my first time having çilbir (Turkish eggs!) and let me tell you, it is goooooood. My photo doesn’t do it justice - the video does, and will be dropping this morning on Instagram.

• How to Steam an Artichoke - just my small tutorial, really simple, and really good to have in your cooking back-pocket for spring!

And that’s it for this week! I’m constantly looking for how to make the newsletter better, so any feedback on what you’re liking/disliking/craving is so appreciated. I’ll see you next week, and in the meantime, be cool, tell a friend to subscribe - especially if they like shallots.

Xoxo,

Allium_Snacks