Rhubarb

We eat rhubarb as a fruit (meaning in the US it is used mostly in desserts), but botanically it is a vegetable. Fruit needs to ripen before it is edible, but vegetables can be eaten at any stage of their development. Vegetables don't ripen, they simply get larger. This is why we eat baby carrots but not baby oranges. In colder climates, rhubarb is the only locally grown fruit that is ready for harvest at this time of the year.

Rhubarb grows in temperate climates with cold winters. In the spring, the roots and underground stems that survive through the winter send out stalks. The plant begins to growing in the early spring and continues through the summer.

How is it Eaten?

Like its relative sorrel, rhubarb has a very tart flavor that is usually softened by pairing it with other fruits or cooking it with honey or sugar. In the US, we most often use it in pies and cobblers. Its use in pies is so prevalent that my mother-in-law, and many others grew up calling rhubarb, pie fruit.

In spite of our prejudices, rhubarb can also be used in many savory dishes. Its tartness compliments and brightens many dishes. In Persian cuisine, rhubarb is cooked with lamb, onions, mint and lemon and is served over rice. In Poland, rhubarb is cooked and served with potatoes.

Buying Rhubarb

The stalks resemble large ribs of celery and can range in color from dark green tinged with red to completely red. This coloration should not be taken as an indication of ripeness, it merely reflects the variety of rhubarb.

Check your local farmer's market to find out when to expect the first crop. When purchasing rhubarb, look for crisp stalks that are brightly colored. Stalks that have split or look dry, fibrous or stringy are too mature.

Beware the Leaves

A large green leaf grows at the end of each stalk of rhubarb. The leaves are toxic and can cause symptoms ranging from mild (indigestion and vomiting) to extreme poisoning (causing death). Don't be afraid to handle rhubarb if it has its leaves, touching them won't hurt you. Just cut them off the stalks and throw them away. They can even be composted because the toxic chemicals breakdown into harmless ones very quickly. Just don't eat them.

Storing Rhubarb

You can store rhubarb for about a week in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic so that it doesn't dry out. If you grow your own and have an abundance, you can also freeze it. There are two methods for freezing rhubarb. You can freeze it raw, and cook it after you thaw it - or you can make a compote with it and freeze the cooked compote.

Freezing raw rhubarb: wash the stems (rhubarb does not need to be peeled), cut them into small pieces, place the rhubarb into plastic bags and freeze. (The usual concern with freezing raw foods, is that as they freeze, the water within each cell expands breaking the cell walls. When the food is subsequently thawed, the broken cell walls cause the food to have an unpleasant, mushy texture. Since cooked rhubarb always has a soft texture, there is no concern that freezing it will ruin it.)

Cooking Rhubarb

Although it can be eaten raw, rhubarb is usually served cooked and the most common method of preparing it is to stew is into a compote which is then added to pies and other desserts.

Rhubarb compote is very easy to make, just place cleaned, diced rhubarb into a pot with some water and a bit of sugar. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until it gets soft and begins to fall apart. Once you have made this compote, you can use it in a pie, a crumble or spoon it over ice cream.

The compote can then be frozen and later pulled out of the freezer to make a quick easy dessert at a moments notice.

When cooking rhubarb you can preserve its beautiful red color by adding an acidic ingredient to it as it cooks. Ingredients such as honey, citrus juice or even an apple can add enough acid to help preserve the color.

The recipes below highlight this delicious spring fruit.

The following recipes were provided by Vera Eisenberg. A former cook at Felidia and Lavagna in New York, she interned at Chez Panisse in California and Verbena in New York. Vera currently teaches cooking classes at Sur La Table in Manhasset, Long Island. Her company Veragusta gives private cooking classes and cooking theme parties. Veragusta@aol.com

Vera writes:

I inherited a rhubarb patch at my home in southern Vermont. It was planted in 1940. I have been researching and cooking rhubarb dishes since we bought the house 15 years ago. My plant has pale green stalks, an heirloom variety. At first I thought it was green because it was so old, then I discovered that there are plants 80 years old still producing.

Rhubarb Prosecco
(Serves 8)

This recipe makes a refreshing summer drink. Although we think of rhubarb as spring fruit the plant produces new shoots all summer long.

Ingredients
10 stalks of rhubarb
1 cup simple syrup (see below)
1 bottle non-vintage Prosecco (you can substitute Champagne or sparkling wine)
fresh mint to garnish.

Method

1. Clean the stalks of rhubarb and cut them into 4 inch pieces. Juice rhubarb in juicer.

2. Combine the rhubarb juice, and the simple syrup. Place in a pot and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Allow to cool.

4. In a glass pitcher, combine the rhubarb juice and the Prosecco. Serve in champagne glasses, garnished with mint.

** To make Simple Syrup—combine 1 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of water in a small pot. Simmer gently until all the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Keeps in the refrigerator for weeks.

Rhubarb Marmalade

Ingredients
4-1/2 pounds rhubarb stalks
4-1/2 pounds sugar

Method

1. Wash and peel the rhubarb stalks. (If young and tender, you don't need to peel them.) Cut them into 1 inch pieces.

2. Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Place in the refrigerator overnight or for 10-12 hours.

3. Strain the liquid from the mixture and place it into a heavy bottomed pot.

4. Bring the juice to boil, and then add the rhubarb pieces. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly.

5. Skim any foam from the top and pour into canning jars. Keep refrigerated.

Rhubarb Crisp With Vanilla Ice Cream
(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients

Crisp Topping
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

Rhubarb Filling
2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pint strawberries*, sliced
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp all purpose flour

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix filling ingredients in a large bowl and set aside until slightly moistened.

3. Place in a 9-inch pie plate or 6 individual one-cup ramekins.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugars and cinnamon. Work in butter until the mixture is crumbly.

5. Sprinkle on top of rhubarb. Don't press it down or it won't bake properly.

6. Bake for 40 minutes until the juices bubble and the rhubarb is tender. (If it browns too quickly, cover top with tin foil.)

7. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

*You can easily substitute raspberries or chopped pineapple for the strawberries.

Baked Rhubarb Compote
(Serves 4)

This compote is delicious served either warm or cold. It can be eaten by itself or used to accompany pork or chicken.

Ingredients
1 pound rhubarb
1 Valencia or other juice orange
1/2 cup sugar
2 pints strawberries, sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.

2. Cut the rhubarb into1/3 inch strips and then crosswise into 2 inch pieces.

3. Grate the zest of the orange into a 9 or 10-inch non-reactive baking dish and add about 3 Tbsp of orange juice, add the rhubarb and sugar and toss everything together.

4. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Remove cover, add sliced strawberries continue baking another 5 to 10 minutes.