Alliums! Who needs ’em?

Well, just about anyone interested in cooking, that’s who. Across cultures and cuisines, most diets will include some type of edible allium. Pierogi? Stuffed with em. Puttanesca? Better have some on hand. Doro wat night at home? Not if you don’t have alliums.

So what are they? Allium is a Latin word for garlic, and in botany it describes a genus of flowering plants, many of them edible. This genus includes all species of onion, leek, garlic, shallot, scallions, and chives. How we use alliums in the kitchen is almost as diverse as the genus itself. Garlic alone can be used raw, stewed, fried, roasted… sometimes multiple different ways in the same dish!

One of the first steps in many recipes is to saute onion, shallot, garlic, or some combination thereof in a fat, such as olive oil or butter. This step infuses the dish with a foundation of flavor to build upon. Sauteeing an allium for an extended amount of time will caramelize it, giving the final dish with a sweet, balsamic note. If you want to go full-on Martha Stewart, caramelize a big batch of onions sometime and freeze them, so you’ll be ready to pop them in a stew or on a burger on short notice

Another edible allium is the leek. Leeks are a staple of autumnal cooking in the northern hemisphere, and are amongst the mildest alliums in flavor. Leeks can be used in broths, soups, stews, and I enjoy adding them to pot pies a swell. Scallions (or green onions) are also considered a mild allium species, and they are used in a ton of different cuisines. They are a flexible ingredient and are every bit as good mixed into a stir-fry as raw. Because of their delicate flavor, scallions are not often used in slow cooking recipes, faring better in grilled or flash fried methods of preparation. Yet a third mild, edible allium is the herb chives. The long thin stalks (called scapes) resemble tiny scallions. Chives are an amazing herb to have on hand, especially as a garnish for fish or egg dishes.

Most of these alliums can be found year-round in the grocery store. Their primary harvesting times vary considerably, however. For instance, while leeks are best harvested in the autumn, fresh garlic is usually in its prime during the summer months. Lots of times, alliums take a secondary role to more exotic produce or a juicy protein in our cooking adventures. But that shouldn’t always be the case! Here are a few recipes that put a spotlight on edible alliums and the important work they do:

• Try this Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic from Food 52. It’s something you can’t really mess up (unless you try SUPER hard to sabotage it), and while garlic is the primary flavor, it is subtle and balanced enough to appeal to the garlic-agnostic among us.
• This recipe features both leeks and scallions: Bok Choy and Chives in Black Bean sauce. It will satisfy the heartiest diners, even if they scoff at the fact it’s vegan. Consider adding some firm, cubed tofu as well.
• Whip up some fresh pesto, hummus, or chimichurri to use up extra garlic.
• Dice scallions, chives, onions or shallots to place raw on top of a salad.
• Chop up a ton of onions along with some peppers and tomatoes for salsa or pico de gallo.
• Try pickling onions for a unique and delicious condiment.

When trying recipes that use a lot of alliums, remember to let them sit in a bowl of cold water and ice for about 10 minutes after cutting them if you want to remove some of the bite.

And now, here are The Shins with a touching ballad about becoming more familiar with your alliums.