You may not be familiar with the term “alliums,” but you certainly are with alliums themselves. Alliums are the family of plants containing onions, shallots, garlic, ramps, scapes, chives, scallions, and leeks. All have a bulb base with an umbel flower and both are edible. One allium or another forms the base of almost every dish worldwide, making it a perfect ingredient to dive deep into.
In the issue there are mentions of ancient Egypt, Greece, Sweet Onions in Maui, Growing, Curing and Drying your own, among many other things. Below is a recipe from the issue for a Lemony-Whipped Feta Dip with Charred Scallions. It’s a modern take on the Calçotada, an annual event in Valls, Catalonia, Spain. A calçot is a milder onion more suited to roasting and charring. In this tradition celebrating the calçot harvest, the onions are grilled, wrapped in newspaper and served on terra cotta tiles where they are peeled and eaten with your hands. Romesco sauce is used for dipping and accompanied by plenty of red wine and bread. Following the calçots, a feast of roasted lamb and sausage with white beans and dessert of oranges with cava conclude the event. This version uses common scallions found at any market, charring them under the broiler to dip in a bright, lemony buttermilk and black-pepper dip. Read on for the recipe.
Charred scallions, tart lemon, and salty feta go together swimmingly. Alliums grow mellower as they cook. The chemical irritant known as syn-propanethial-S-oxide stimulates the eyes’ lachrymal glands so they release tears and breaks down the pungency of the onion. Broiling or blackening takes an allium to the most extreme opposite, meeting a mellow, oniony flavor with a charred one.
Lemony-Whipped Feta with Charred Scallions
black pepper, lemon, olive oil
1 1/2 lemons
1 bunch scallions
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
14 ounces feta cheese, broken into large pieces
2 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black
pepper, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon hot water
1. Heat a broiler. Line a sheet pan with foil. Juice 1 lemon and set aside. Cut the remaining 1/2 lemon into 3 or 4 thin slices.
2. In a medium bowl combine the lemon slices, scallions and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place on a sheet pan with the scallions and broil until blackened, about 7-9 minutes for the scallions and an additional 5 minutes for the lemon slices. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
3. In a food processor, add the feta, cream cheese, remaining olive oil, reserved lemon juice, pepper, and hot water. Puree until very smooth.
4. Chop the scallions into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Stir into the whipped feta. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Chop the charred lemon slices in half. Garnish the whipped feta with the lemon slices and a crack of black pepper.