Aromatics

The first things to run through are, in fact, not strictly speaking store cupboard ingredients. These are the (mostly fresh) aromatics that we use as the bases for most savoury dishes. Apart from the obvious onions and garlic, we often use red onions, particularly when we want sweetness, and shallots for their intensity of flavour and extra hint of garlic. We generally favour the large banana shallots for their mild sweetness and because they are less laborious to peel as you need fewer of them. Another member of the onion family that we use a lot as a basic flavouring is the leek, for its mild subtle flavour. We also tend to add celery to our basic aromatic mixtures for its simple intense “greenness”. When you are preparing such veg, don’t throw away the trimmings, but use them to make stock.