Marinated Spinach Recipe
Marinated spinach with leeks makes a wonderful addition to a Japanese bentō, a traditional lunch.
Photo courtesy iStock/4kodiak
Marinated Spinach (or Hōrensō Sunomono)
Our second sunomono differs in that it is cooked and is based on a leafy green. Spinach is one of the earliest greens to be harvested from the spring garden in most places, and makes a wonderful addition to our bentō.
This dish also uses Allium fistulosum, known variously as Japanese Leeks, Japanese Bunching Onions, Spring Onions, or Welsh Onions. The last name is a misnomer, as this type of onion has no connection with the Celtic countries, it having rather been domesticated in Siberia and northeastern Asia, where it grows wild. In this case “welsh” is derived from the Old English “welisc” meaning “foreign,” which these Asian onions would have been to the Europeans. Although it is possible to use thinnings from the common onion (Allium cepa), their flavor is not the same.
FOR MORE ABOUT BENTO AND ITS COMMON RECIPES, SEE JAPANESE BENTO.
Delight your taste buds, mind and eyes with beautiful photos and inspirational techniques on everything you need to know to grow, preserve and cook your own heirloom fruits and vegetables. You won’t want to miss the stories about plants passed down from generation to generation. 
