Gold, Frankincense and Shallots!

Tradition is the big buzz word every Christmas; I’m frequently asked “what are your family foodie traditions?” Well goose is one of them; I always cook goose in the same way with stuffing and apple sauce served with rich gravy made from the gizzards and marrow bones. This year I have changed direction and researched how goose used to be cooked in days gone by and the most used ingredient in the recipes I found were shallots.

In 1808 The Modern Apicius was published in Rome by Francesco Leonardi and he included a recipe which is Goose after the English manner. It reads; take a tender and plump goose, draw, stuff it with its liver pounded and seasoned with shallot, parsley, chives, truffles and a clove of garlic, pound all this with salt, crushed pepper, nutmeg, bacon slivers and two raw egg yolks. Then sew it up, truss it with the legs skinned and the toes clipped, folded back on the thighs and roast on a spit. When almost cooked sprinkle it with grated breadcrumbs, brown it and serve it on gravy made with beef, a little pounded shallot, salt, crushed pepper and the juice of a large lemon or orange.

This sounds delicious but the moral of the story is that renowned food writers and chefs even in 1808 realised that shallots are a highly valued ingredient imparting a sweet delicious subtle flavour that no other allium can.

So for my goose this year it’s going to be shalloted in true Christmas Roman style.

Have a good one.

Happy Christmas

Love

Rachel

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Bring some spice to Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, in this latest post our resident chef Rachel Green talks about the joys of making festive chutney to impress family and friends!

I have just bought a few nets of UK shallots and have put them in a basket on the side in my kitchen and every time I walk past them, they make be smile because they remind me that Christmas is only weeks away.

My cheery shallots are going to be made into Roasted Shallot, Cranberry and Ginger Chutney for friends Christmas presents.

I’m going to make this fabulous chutney and put it into kilner jars, attach a luggage label to say - Delicious with all cold meats and cheeses and especially scrumptious when topped on warm goat’s cheese, with salad or with grilled venison sausages along with my Christmas message of good wishes.

This chutney is easy to make with fabulous results and people love it when they receive a gift that has been made with a nurturing spirit.

I usually take a jar of chutney and attach an old antique chutney spoon with some raffia, they are easy to find in old junk shops and this makes it a really well thought out gift instead of your usual bottle of wine.

UK shallots are special for their depth of sweetness, and the fact that they stay whole, means they look great in the chunky chutney along with the festive colour of the cranberries.

So that you have no Nightmares before Christmas start making your shallot chutney now and be the seasonal shallot Santa who everyone loves!!!

Rachel Green
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The last of the summer wine, with shallots of course!

Here's the latest post from our resident chef, Rachel Green:


"I have just returned from a wonderful jaunt in the Bordeaux region of France. During our time there we went out to dinner with friends and I noticed that shallots or (echalotes) appeared in a large number of dishes on the menu.

It looks like shallots are just as popular in France and they appear to be used at every opportunity, whether with a grilled entrecote steak with marrowbones sautéed in red wine, butter and sugar or as part of a delicious salad with chicken gizzards, foie gras and smoked duck or simply caramelised shallots on a piece of sourdough bread topped with a wonderful piece of local grilled goat’s cheese.

Once back on British soil I was desperate to tell everyone about UK shallots, which for me are a much higher quality than their French counterparts.

As the nights start to draw in why not make the most of the summer evenings, uncork the Beaujolais and bake a delicious Shallot Tart Tatin oozing with melted blue cheese and serve with a green salad and enjoy the last of the summer weather!"

Rachel Green

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Shallots - the ideal staple ingredient

Today's blog comes from our resident chef, home economist, food stylist, writer and overall expert in all things food-related, Alison Clarkson.

Alison is a well-respected ‘foodie’ in the industry working for such exalted clients such as: GMTV, Zest magazine, national newspapers as well as Kraft Foods, Florette, Mattessons, Diageo and Appletiser.

Alison is a huge supporter of fresh, local, British grown produce and is helping to front our national campaign to get the great British public enjoying more shallots!

"Shallots are a staple ingredient in my fridge. I love their versatility and how they can really transform a dish.

During the week when I cook for my family, I’m usually in a hurry, rarely use a recipe and often have a mismatch of ingredients. Luckily shallots fit in with most cuisines so whether I’m making a salad, stir-fry or curry they’re a great help.

As a child, my Mother would occasionally add shallots to a casserole and it seemed terribly posh, like the recipes I’d seen in her Woman’s Own magazine. I think I still have a nostalgic soft spot for cooking with them.

Since my childhood, I’ve learnt to use shallots in many different ways. I love frying shallot rings, till they’re crisp, to scatter on top of a Malaysian Nasi Goreng or Pakistani Haleem.

I use shallots raw too. A current favourite is to slice them thinly to add to a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, capers and anchovies. I drizzle this dressing over a warm salad of brown rice, steamed broccoli and grilled mackerel. It’s a really quick weekday supper but is so tasty I make extra to go in packed lunches the next day.

I still regularly revert back to the old favourites though. My dog-eared note book of Mum’s recipes wouldn’t be complete without the well-loved Goulash, Chicken Chasseur or Beef Bourguignon. All showcasing whole shallots cooked long in the rich sauce so they become meltingly soft and sweet.

This time of year though, I’m starting to think about autumn's abundant produce and which fruit and veg will make it into my chutneys.

Shallots are a great base for savoury preserves and will be included in most of my chutneys and pickles. I take advantage of plentiful autumn to start the production of what will mature into delicious Christmas gifts.

Take a look at the recipes for Pickled Shallots, Piccalilli and Roast Shallot, Cranberry and Ginger Chutney and get preserving too!"

All the best, Alison Clarkson x

Summer holiday notes from Rachel Green

I've never been a fan of the cold weather, it seems to make everyone miserable. So I am so pleased the summer holidays are here.

The great tradition in our family on the first week in August is to pack up and go to the beach hut on the Lincolnshire coast to have a traditional sea side break.

Over the week, groups of hungry people arrive at our hut to be fed and nothing beats cooking in the outdoors, especially on a charcoal barbecue.

In true Brit style, out comes the barbecue and we cook on it whatever the weather! The next dilemma is what to cook?

There of course will be Lincolnshire sausages but we also love to make Korean chicken wings with fresh chillies and crispy shallots and aubergine, pepper and shallot kebabs with halloumi and a mint and harissa dressing.

I know you are thinking that shallots are more of a winter ingredient but they are fabulous to eat all the year round.

In the summer, I love them raw, chopped up into salad dressings, crispy shallots and a cream cheese dip and they are great in all Asian dishes.

Of course, on the beach, I will also serve the ubiquitous cheese, shallot and tomato sandwich complete with the last of my shallot and cranberry chutney, with sand (however hard you try not to) giving that extra crunch!

So, grab your fork because there's a world of shallots out there waiting for you to cook!

Love from Rachel x

Diwali in July

We have been busy this week at UK Shallot HQ sending a mailer out to lots of lovely journalists about our brand new Diwali-inspired Indian pickle featuring UK Shallots, Pink Lady Apple and mango.

The smell of fresh mint has flooded the office, the floor is covered in pink wood wool and 70 boxes have been packed by colleagues including Heather, Owen, Ellie and Melita. Each box contains a precious cargo of UK Shallots, Pink Lady apples, fresh mint, naan breads and a jar of our delicious pickle made by the very skilled and now very tired hands of food stylist extrordinaire, Alison Clarkson.

Alison peeled and chopped 12 kg of the finest British shallots, diced a few branches worth of Pink Lady apples and juiced 70 limes in her marathon chutney making session yesterday. And why?

July is the time of year when many of the magazines both on and offline start planning their Christmas editions and this year, for a change, we decided to celebrate Diwali on October 26th this year. Diwali is a five day festival that represents the start of the Hindu New Year. It honours the victory of good over evil, and brightness over darkness. It also marks the start of winter.

Shallots feature in a selection of the 2011 campaign healthy Indian recipes devised by Manju Malhi (Twitter @TheRealManju) as well as in the chutney devised by Alison Clarkson (Twitter @tiny_teapot).

The delicious chutney wouldn't be complete without the perfect sweet/sharp flavour and crisp texture of Pink Lady apples.

The plan is to target those people who write about and discuss food online and in printed media - food editors, writers, bloggers, the Twitterati and influential foodies and reinforce the benefits and delights of cooking with UK Shallots.

We hope the lucky recipients of our Diwali box enjoy their goodies!

Update from Rachel Green

At UK Shallot HQ we pride ourselves on working with some of the best chefs in the industry to produce the finest recipes featuring UK Shallots.

One chef we have worked with over the years and who is a massive fan of shallots is Rachel Green. Rachel is not only a wonderful chef but an accomplished author, caterer, experienced food demonstrator and campaigner. She has several TV series under her belt including ITV Yorkshire's Flying Cook and World on a Plate series, BBC3's Kill it! Cook it! Eat it! and Farm of Fussy Eaters on UK TV Style.

We're delighted that Rachel has agreed to be our guest blogger and so without further ado, over to her!

Rachel says: "Some say that I'm the 'Lady of Shallot' because there isn't a day that goes by without me using at least eight of the little beauties in my cooking, they never disappoint me.

"Shallots manage to sprinkle a certain fairy dust to the flavour and texture of my dishes, this is why they are in such demand with chefs and cooks alike.

"Shallots are a great ingredient to use all year round. Don't just use them for hearty winter dishes such as Daube of Beef. Shallots are a great complement to lighter summer dishes too, the fresh clean taste is perfect to use in a Thai Beef Salad. Shallots are such a versatile ingredient, they can be used raw, cooked or pickled.

"I've just prepared shallots and garlic in cream, these will accompany my slow cooked honeyed shoulder of new lamb, a great alternative to potatoes dauphinoise.

"I can't possibly finish my blog without saying: that's 'shallot' for now!"

Love Rachel Green x