Shallots are in Season

Ciao Amici,

Come state? I hope everyone is having a nice start to Fall!

Just when the leaves start to turn and the days get shorter is when shallots are in peak season in Italy. This allium is much more delicate and doesn’t linger on your breath like its cousins, onion and garlic. As someone who almost always only cooks for two, I appreciate the single serving size of a shallot, so nothing goes to waste.

Before going to Italy, I had never heard of shallots, they were nowhere in my Midwestern cuisine growing up. In fact, I still mix up the Italian word for shallot, scalogno (skal-oh-nyo) with scallion (which is erba cipollina in Italian). The names sound so similar for two completely different food items!

It’s believed that the name scalogno comes from the Mediterranean ancient sea port Ascalona where shallots were brought to Italy from the East during the Crusades.

In Piacenza, a city between Bologna and Milan, they are celebrating their annual Shallot Festival where they enjoy traditional local music, wine and of course – dishes featuring shallots.

My favorite way to cook shallots is in risotto. Just find a basic risotto recipe, add 3x the number of shallots, add sage and parm and you have a delicious fall-flavored dinner. Pair with a dry Lambrusco.

Enjoy this beautiful season!

Un abbraccio,

Lisa