After, all what is a shallot? It is a plant from the onion family. You seldom find them at the grocer. I see them occasionally at the farmers' market, but that is only open a few months of the year in our town. They look like funky onions or scallions that have been left in the ground too long. (Scallions is the fancy name for green onions.) Their bulbs are usually not symmetrical (I've seen the shape described as frog legs) and they don't always have the green top. Leeks on the other hand, do look just like green onions only much bigger and though they may be useful (great in soup) they are usually more expensive. If you have a bit of ground, you could grow your own shallots. Look on line to find a source. If you have a good specialty garden nursery store, they might have them or know where (or who) a local source may be. Local garden clubs sometimes have fundraising events or plant exchanges. If anyone know about them it would be the one who brings food plants to the exchange.
My point is that in most cases substituting an easier, cheaper, available ingredient will still give you a reasonable result. Green onions are almost always available at any grocery store. I have even seen tutorials on line about keeping your extra scallions growing so you don't have to throw away extras or buy more. You can use your bunch of green onions over several days if you keep them in the fridge. They are even good simply dipped in your favorite salad dressing and eaten as you would carrots or celery. Chopping the green part is a great way to garnish soups and other dishes.
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