Life after onions: is there an alternative to alliums? - MW

What a good substitute for onions in cooking? I have developed a serious intolerance towards them, along with everything else in the allium family. Please help.
Jackie, London E18

This is a special piece of advice from Jacob Kenedy, the chef / owner of two London restaurants whose kitchens rely on onions, Soho Italian Locco di Lupo and Cajun-Creole Plaquemine Course. As much as any toxic relationship, cutting the onions from your life completely, he said, otherwise you will forever look back as a lost lover. Take this as an opportunity for a fresh start and come up with recipes that don't think or care about onions.

Like any painful breakup, of course, that's a lot easier said than done, but that's really not the end of the world. Kenedy, garlic says, onions and raw garlic, when added when cooking, are often used to lend a spicy dish, chili says, try something similar, such as lemon zest, capers, raw chili, pepper or horseradish. They all have very different characteristics than onions, yes, but they are still worthwhile replacements.

Brown onions, on the other hand, add a delicious complexity - Try some anchovies, ginger or dill, while soft onions bring body and sweetness, so switch to vegetables. Other to provide similar texture: Bridge spacing with chopped celery, dill or bell pepper. And a little sugar, for that sweet hit.

Nothing can copy onions exactly, but chef Merlin Labron-Johnson agrees that celery, and indeed celeriac, adds the body and depth needed to soups and stews in particular. Its delicate, delicate perfume goes with all sorts - meat, fish and other vegetables - so it's very versatile, too.

Although the onions are the cornerstone of European cuisine, it's worth looking for a further inspiration, Labron-Johnson, former chef at Portland and the famous Clipstone in London, who recently ditched the light to open Osip in Bruton, Somerset: Many Asian recipes require only allium at the end, often deep-fried, medium-cooked or raw, which adds an entirely different dimension. They get excitement from other sources: The depth, umami and savage provided by soy, fish sauce, miso, bonito or dashi, so experiment with the people in the recipe. cooked allium. (Like Kenedy, Labron Johnson also recommends using a little finely chopped or crushed ginger instead of garlic when sweating vegetables: This is a good, delicate heat without getting sick).

Karam Sethi, co-owner of what many consider to be Britain's leading senior India, Gymkhana in London, has the same wavelength. We rely on onions a lot to build depth and flavor, especially in Indian cooking, he said, but that doesn't mean they can't be replaced. For vegetable dishes, he suggests a combination of tomatoes, ginger and coriander seeds; in marinated meats, ginger powder and fresh cilantro: Eat Use the stems and roots too, for pity sake: they are completely packed with flavor. And in curries, lightly roast poppies, coriander and dill seeds with fresh coconut, then grind or blitz to paste for curry base.

Jackie chooses the best bet on copying allium also from Asia, namely the Indian spice asafoetida, or hing, a special delicacy of the Brahmin and Jain communities, which prohibits the use of onions and garlic. Its main flavor is similar to onions and garlic combined, according to Mr. Sethi, so it is a comprehensive replacement in the basis of all kinds of dishes, not just curry.

However, derived from ferula roots, a wild fennel, asafoetida powder, however, there is a big flaw: don't put too good spots on it, hinges, with the sulfur note competing with eggs its (it also goes by the name of demon dung and stinky gum for good reason), so use it sparingly, even though this smell doesn't go away after cooked. On the plus side, spice also reduces the smell of creating us - hing is a popular treatment for flatulence, so onions or onions are especially handy in any environment. anything related to impulse.

MW