My fiancee is allergic to onions of all sorts. What can I do?
Josh A. Decatur, IL The other day on my show, Cooking Monday to Friday, I talked about how to season food without using onions!. While I know that we cooks are lost without onions, I appreciate the fact that many people are either allergic to or simply don’t like onions and garlic. Japanese cuisine uses little onion seasoning and maybe you can draw inspiration from that. They flavor much of their food by contrasting the salty soy against a sweetness of some sort, such as Mirin (sweet rice wine) and against a peppery touch such as daikon (radish) or fresh ginger. A great way to healthily add vibrant flavor to your food is to season with lots of fresh herbs. Add the chopped herbs, at the end of cooking time, so they retain their vibrant flavor and be sure to be generous with the amount. You can also season successfully with toasted spices or with or a dash of fresh citrus juice such as lemon or lime. All of these perk up flavor without using onions.
