Inside the Spice House – We Love Our Alliums, Do You?

Allium is the Latin word for garlic, but the allium family includes garlic, onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, chives, and more! They are all closely related, meaning that sensitivities or allergies to one (like onion) can often cause cross-reactivity with others (like garlic). They’re known for producing strong smelling sulphur compounds offering distinct flavours to our food, thus becoming culinary staples worldwide!

Alliums are more than just pantry staples – they’re health-boosting powerhouses. Onions are loaded with antioxidants like quercetin, which help reduce inflammation and support heart health. Garlic brings its own strengths to the table, thanks to allicin, a compound that boosts immunity and has antibacterial and antiviral properties. Together, these two ingredients can elevate your meals while giving your health a real boost.

How to Maximize Health Benefits:

The 10-Minute Rule: Crush, chop, or slice garlic and onions and let them rest for 10–15 minutes before cooking. This allows the healthy sulphur compounds (specifically allicin) to fully form before heat inactivates them.

Raw vs. Cooked: While raw provides maximum potency, even cooked or dehydrated forms retain significant health benefits

Eating around one clove of garlic daily provides significant antioxidant benefits, while onions are excellent for immunity. Here are some easy and tasty ways featuring onions and garlic that help turn everyday meals into something that’s good for you:-

• Homemade Salsa and Guacamole: Raw onion and garlic are essential ingredients in these, providing a sharp contrast to fatty avocados.
• Salad Dressings: Add finely minced raw garlic to vinaigrettes or mix into creamy dressings like ranch.
• Raw Topping: Add raw red onion or scallions to sandwiches, salads, or tacos for a fresh crunch.
• Start Every Meal with Aromatics: Sauté finely chopped onions and garlic in olive oil as the base for soups, stews, pastas, rice dishes, and stir-fries.
• Roast in Batches: Roast whole heads of garlic and halved onions at 400°F for 25-30 minutes. The roasting process brings out a natural sweetness and makes them easy to blend into hummus, mash into potatoes, or spread on toast.
• Caramelized Onions and Garlic… at the Spice House we’re obsessed with caramelized onions and roasted garlic and try to keep a jar of this compote in the fridge all the time. We love it on pizza, tossed into pasta with cheese, mixed with some good olive oil, more balsamic vinegar and some herbs as a salad dressing, as a base for onion soup, or simply spread on toast.

Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Compote

Ingredients

For every two pounds of onions, you will need the following:

• 1head of garlic
• 1 tablespoon unsalted / plant-based butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Slice ¼ off the top of the garlic bulb, exposing the cloves, but don’t separate or peel them.
3. Place the head of garlic on a square of tin foil and gather it up around the bulb of garlic so the top can be twisted shut.
4. Before closing, drizzle a tblsp of olive oil onto the head of garlic. Roast the head of garlic in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the cloves are soft.
5. While the garlic is roasting, thinly slice the onions.
6. Melt the butter and remaining olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
7. Add the onions, salt them, and stir.
8. Let the onions cook down until soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking onions for 30-35 minutes – add a little water if they start to stick.
9. In the last 5 minutes, add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and stir until well dissolved and caramelized – about 2 minutes.
10. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins into a small bowl and mash into a paste. Add some olive oil if needed.
11. Mix the roasted garlic paste into the caramelized onions.
12. The mixture will keep, refrigerated, up to 3 weeks.

A Tip for Daily Consumption: Reduce Garlic Breath: Parsley, raw apple, or drinking lemon water can help counteract garlic breath.

Spice&Easy Cyprus for health & wellness! We do the blending, so you don’t have to! www.spiceandeasycyprus.com