How to Mince a Shallot
Shallots are a common ingredient in dishes, particularly from France and other European countries. The shallot is a root vegetable similar to an onion or scallion. They are purple in color and are usually about the size of a golf ball or smaller. They are minced and added to the cooking pans so that they impart their flavor. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Wash the shallot well and remove the brown paper-like wrapping. Discard this brown papery shell. The inner bulb is with a purplish white bulb. Use your paring knife to trim the top off the bulb. Leave the root end intact. Removing the top aids in being able to remove the outer brown skin.
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Place the shallot on a cutting board and cut the bulb in half through the root end. This will give you a flat surface to prevent the shallot rolling when you begin to mince it. Place both halves flat on the cutting board and make small vertical slices in the bulb from the top to the root end but do not cut all the way though to the root end.
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Turn the shallot so that your knife will be cutting across the slices you just made. Now begin to slice all the way through the shallot from one side to the other. Performing this will leave you with very small pieces of shallot, referred to as minced.
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Tips & Warnings
Due to the very thin slices you will be cutting, make sure your paring knife is very sharp. This will help you not crush the shallot as you cut. The juice of the shallot can irritate your eyes much like onions do when you slice them. Wash your knife and hands well periodically if you must mince a lot of them to keep the juice from becoming overpowering.
