I have a huge bag of shallots - can you make onion soup just with shallots? How do I store them? Outdoors?

Answer 1

While you may not be able to make onion soup per se, here's a recipe for Shallot Soup that looks mighty good:

White Shallot Soup with Gruyere Croutons and Truffle Oil
by Abigail Fawcett
from Great Food Live

For an elegant starter, try Abigail Fawcett's velvety shallot soup, complete with croutons and a luxurious dash of truffle oil

Servings: 4
Level of difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes


Ingredients
20g butter
4 banana shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 thyme sprigs
900ml full cream milk
3 slices of white bread, chopped
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 baguette, sliced into rounds
3 tbsp freshly grated Gruyere cheese
1 tsp Truffle oil


Method
1. Heat the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the shallots, garlic and thyme .

2. Pour in the milk, stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the shallots have softened.

3. Add the chopped bread and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Blend until smooth.

4. Meanwhile, preheat the grill. Place the baguette rounds on a baking sheet. Sprinkle over the Gruyere cheese and grill for 2 minutes.

5. Serve the soup in soup bowls, topped with the Gruyere croutons. Drizzle a little truffle oil over each portion just before serving.

Answer 2

Shallots would not make for a good onion soup. Their flavor - a cross between onion and garlic is not sweet enough to use by itself. You should store them in a mesh bag - in a dark and cool location - away from heat. They will last as long as no moisture is present - they should last for a while. However, if you have just tons of them - do a fine dice - add some good quality olive oil - put in a large jar and refrigerate - that way when you need to use some you just take a couple of spoons out and "viola".

Answer 3

Why yes, yes you can. The flavor of shallots is milder that onions, but still there. In fact, when a recipe calls for shallots and I don't have any, I simply mince some red onion and get the almost the same flavor profile. Not enough difference for most people to tell.

As far as storing them, I keep them in the pantry in a paper sack. Of course your idea of a 'large' bag and my idea of a 'large' bag may differ considerably. If it's a more than you'll use making onion soup, and you'll have a lot left over, keep them in the fridge to retard spoilage. If you'll use the remainder soon, the pantry is fine as they won't get soggy like they will in the fridge.