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Alex Guarnaschelli is an Iron Chef, Food Network celebrity chef, author of Old-School Comfort Food and the executive chef at New York City’s Butter restaurants. Read her PEOPLE.com blog every Tuesday to get her professional cooking tips, family-favorite recipes and personal stories of working in front of the camera and behind the kitchen doors. Follow her on Twitter at @guarnaschelli.

I really love scallions, and I think they often get lost in the shuffle behind the red and yellow onions and the leeks. Scallions are in the supermarket year-round, but they definitely enjoy their peak season in the spring and summer months.

A little background … A scallion is also referred to as a green onion. Spring onions and scallions are virtually the same, and all belong to the Allium family. When spring rolls around and scallions really have their chance to shine, the more-chic ramps roll into town….

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What are my favorite ways to use scallions? Scallions are often used raw in guacamole and just as is on meat, fish or vegetables. I love that the white part of the scallion has a burst of onion flavor and the green part a sweeter and milder taste. I like to use the green parts as a last-minute garnish where I might use chives, whereas the white parts I like better cooked, even for a minute or two, so the onion taste is mellowed and the texture more tender.

I make a quick onion soup by cooking the white part of the scallions for a few minutes in a little butter and white wine and then stirring in the green parts, last minute, with milk and cream. The total cooking time is only 8-10 minutes. Considering I have cooked French onion soup for a few hours, that’s a pretty quick soup!

The below recipe is another one of my favorite little condiments. The scallions are cooked in red wine, making them a great companion to grilled red meat but also giving it brightness and acidity that can pair nicely with fish or hearty vegetables. Make this in advance and let it sit overnight for even better results. Serve room temperature or warmed up. A side note about orange zest: It’s amazing how orange zest can really take over a dish! Take care to only lightly grate the zest of the orange a couple of times so that the zest and floral note from the fruit is present but does not overpower the other flavors.

Scallion Red Wine Jam
Makes about 11/2-2 cups

1 tbsp. extra-virgin oil
20 scallions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced, green and white parts both
4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ cups any dry red wine
¼ cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp. clover honey
The juice and “2-3 grates” of zest from 1 medium orange

1. Cook the scallions and shallots: In a medium sauté pan, heat the oil and add the white parts of the scallions, shallots, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until the onions give up their liquid, 3-5 minutes and add the red wine. Lower the heat and until the wine reduces almost completely, 12-15 minutes. Then, add the vinegar. Cook 2-3 additional minutes or until little liquid is left in the pan and the onions are glossy.

2. Make the jam: In a separate small pan, heat the honey over medium heat until froths and the honey turns a light caramel color. Remove the pan from the heat, 2-3 minutes. Add the orange juice and zest. Pour the honey over the onions, stir in the green parts of the scallions and continue cooking them over low heat until it forms a jam-like consistency, 3-5 minutes.

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