April 19, 2010

Saturday and Spring Onions

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Cool in the shade. Warm in the sun. Spring.

Roberto handed me the plastic bag. My face lit up...My eyes bright and unblinking. Another glimpse of spring, this time from his parents garden. So potent. Mild and spicy all in one bite. I could smell them through the thin plastic bag. Fresh, young, and tender. Mysterious purple bulbs with their dirty, just pulled from the earth tendrils.

Spring onions (green onions, scallions).

"You can leave them out for later." He said.

"We'll eat them with the ravioli." I said.

If it's not the shallot in our sauce or the red onion in our salad, it's the green onion held in our left hand while eating pasta...almost every night.

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A rite of passage. A day of planting and sowing of seeds. The sun high and bright with its nourishing rays of light. The wind inflating our lungs (fresh air WILL do you good).

Hours passed in the garden and our bellies ached with hunger. We scrubbed off the marine later and made for the kitchen. Freshly made cheese ravioli—72 cheese ravioli, to be more exact— from Little Italy. Roberto cooked up a pot of red sauce while I made a salad and cleaned the spring onions.

I held the long green legs with one hand and slid the cacoon-like purple bulb off with the other. The green was trimmed, the tendrils removed, and into a bath of ice cold water they went. Because there's nothing worse than taking a bite laced with gritty bits of earth.

So it went...Bite of pasta. Bite of spring onion. Repeat. I finished my six ravioli while Roberto continued to work on his eight. About five spring onions between us.

"Do you want one more?" He asked.

"No, that's alright. I'm okay." I said.

"Half?" He asked.

"No, that's okay." I said.

Roberto sliced half of ravioli number eight and slid it onto my plate.

"Thank you." I said while gobbling.

Plates were rinsed.

And it went...mixed green salad, fried eggs, and seven grain bread.

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"I'm so full." He said.

"I'm so full too. Coffee?" I said.

"Where's the chocolate?" He asked.

"On the chocolate." I said.

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And it went...

17 comments:

  1. I love your technique - bite of ravioli, then a bite of spring onion. Yum! New to me; green onions just arrived at the greenmarkets near me, so it's the perfect time to try this.

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  2. Beth - I'm counting the days. I miss the market.

    Mary - Thank you :)

    Nancy - I've got three bunches of spring onions in the fridge. I'm hoping they carry us through the week. Thank goodness it's a cheap habit.

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  3. Those dirty tendrils are absolutely beautiful.

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  4. Gorgeous photos. I'm very close to deciding whether or not to buy a half share in a CSA--first time. Not sure, though, if it will be too much produce for two people.

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  5. Denise - I'm so glad I left them dirty for the photos. :)

    Michele - We've thought about a half share as well, but we tend to plant a lot in our own garden. I feel like a lot would go to waste. I'd have to really buckle down and put up the excess...but it would be worth it.

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  6. Absolutely fantastic shots, Amuse!! They make my heart happy to look at them. :-) My counter is PILED with fresh produce today and it makes me smile. :-)

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  7. Tart - Thank you :) A pile of produce, FANTASTIC! Can't wait to see what you cook up next.

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  8. Just looking at those onions make me so happy...

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  9. Awesome! This is proof that Spring has really arrived.

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  10. Those ephotos are gorgeous Tracy, and of course your writing style is so fresh, I love it. A very Spring post! x

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  11. Uke - :)

    Velva - More proof every day. It's wonderful!

    Lilly - Thank you so much :)

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  12. What extraordinary photos! You make me regret not having a garden, although I'm definitely going to head off to the market on Saturday for spring onions - a risotto would be nice with them. Thanks for inspiring me and sharing these wonderful moments.

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  13. love the wild root pictures today and all this talk of spring onions - delcious post. (6 and 8, I know)

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  14. Vanessa - Risotto would be very nice with spring onions. When we don't eat them in hand, we're slicing and tossing on whatever we can. It's an addiction. :)

    rachel - And I'm no slouch at the table...I could eat 8, you know. I'll bet you could too. ;)

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  15. I am growing a passel of onions in a tiny patch in the easement across from our house--about 100 green shoots up now. Soon, we'll be relishing this tastes of spring too with every meal---they brighten everything!

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  16. I love spring onions, they are so flavorful, great in salads.

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