Ah, pity the poor onion, rarely elevated in literature or song, disparaged mostly, is the subject for today. The green onion that is, the Nabachen or negi, to be precise. Almost every bard and songster who speaks of onions focuses on those stinging gases that emit from their fragrant bulbs evoking tears, and tears, and more tears. Oh, Onions, you do make the world cry!
But no, not this variety, not this week in Norwood. No tears will be shed, unless, of course, one’s joy erupts after tasting the delicate foliage and sweet white bulbs of the lovely, long-fingered Nabachen. Had Marvin Gaye tasted this tall plant would he have sought to kill the onion as he did in “The Onion Song?” Would The Beatles have been “Bending back tulips” to look for a “Glass Onion? I don’t think so. One bite of the stalk of the Nabachen lingers and excites the palate in ways that may have inspired lyricists to create paeans of love and joy and smiles.
The sun-loving Scallion Nabachen, Alium Fistulosum for you botanists, or AKA, “Bunching Onion,” is quite popular in Japan, according to the “My Gardener Insider” website. The website goes on to tell us how it is, “…superb for adding flavor to soups, stews and casseroles. An excellent addition to salads.” That’s where I’ll turn. A salubrious summer soup flavored with Nabachen and loaded with vegetables sounds like a song right now.
Here’s a recipe for a Soba Noodle Miso Soup that we can use to incorporate the delicate Nabachen from a website called “Yummly”:
This soup calls for a tall, cold beer. Tonight, mine is Leffe Blonde. Enjoy!
Written by John LoSasso
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