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Green onions, or shallots, have a milder flavor than other onions and are used in various cuisines worldwide. They can be diced and added to salads or soups, baked, or used in dishes such as shallot pancakes. They are also used in broth preparations and as a side dish in Southeast Asia.
Green onions, also known as shallots, are members of the onion genus, Allium, that tend to have a milder flavor than other “true” onions. The term green onions generally refers to Allium fistulosum, the Welsh onion. Occasionally people will refer to shallots, Allium ascalonicum, as scallions, but the term is generally reserved to describe green onions themselves. The plant has small bulbs, often barely distinguishable as separate from the stem, and long stalks that change from white at the bulb to deep green at the top.
Around the world, shallots are eaten in a number of different dishes, and thus there are many cuisines to choose from when determining how to use green onions. In the United States, shallots are generally used as a minor ingredient in dishes, though their flavor is strong enough to show through even when small amounts are used. They are often simply diced and added raw to the best salads or soups, but they can also be grilled or fried or cooked into soups to add some spice.
On their own, green onions can be quite tasty baked and served on their own. To serve, most people slice them lengthwise to dent the meat, then cut them into more manageable chunks. Then you can coat them in olive oil and cook them slowly in the oven at around 300° Fahrenheit (150° Celsius). Once lightly browned, they can be removed and enjoyed hot or added to salads or other dishes as a tangy, crunchy topping.
Shallots are also used in shallot pancakes, where they’re the star of the show. These are simply flour, salt, shallots, ginger, garlic and oil, fried in oil. To make a large batch of pasta, simply take one cup (237 mL) of flour and mix it into a bowl with a pinch of salt, then pour half a cup (118 mL) of boiling water into the flour and mix, allowing it to cool in the bowl for a while before flattening it out like a pie crust. The dough should then be brushed with oil and then the shallots, ginger and garlic can be added. The dough can then be refrigerated in a bag with a little oil, until chilled and absorbed by the oil.
This mixture can be frozen in small batches to keep for long periods of time, or pancakes can be made right away. To make the pancakes themselves, take a small ball of dough and roll it into a flat pancake, then fry in a little oil until golden brown, then flip and fry again. While very simple, shallot pancakes allow the flavor of the green onions to really come through and are an excellent way to use up large quantities of shallots from the garden.
Other green onion dishes include paijori, which is a spicy Korean salad made with shallots, roasted calcots in Spain, where they are served with a dip, and Bosnian mladi luk where they are combined with cottage cheese as a side. Shallots are also used extensively as a side dish throughout Southeast Asia, in both soups and pasta dishes. They are also used in broth preparations around the world, giving the onion a slightly milder and greener flavor than other onion varieties.
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