As thin pink stalks are growing in our rhubarb bed, I couldn’t be happier to see them – we love rhubarb, and so, too, do many, many others!
As February turns into March, rhubarb is to be found on the shelves of farm shops, greengrocers and supermarkets, although apart from our wonderful Co-op in Broadford, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have been to any other supermarket during the past 12 months.
I feel so strongly that we owe our loyalty to the individual shops who have worked so incredibly hard during this past year, taking orders and delivering them, that they deserve repayment by our loyalty to them.
It is no hardship!
Wonderful
For me, this loyalty lies with the Corner on the Square in Beauly and its excellent greengrocer/deli next door; with Ryefields Farm Shop, and with the wonderful greengrocer in High Street in Dingwall next door to the best butcher, Frasers.
Back to the subject of rhubarb…
It is so versatile, in sweet recipes chiefly, but also in savoury recipes.
And rhubarb combines deliciously with other fruits – bananas, and strawberries when their season arrives, but also with orange and ginger.
Rhubarb can be cooked, sweetened to your taste, then whizzed to a smooth puree and as such it can be a delicious sauce with ice cream.
Sometimes I use the syrup from preserved ginger instead of sugar, as the sweetener.
In a savoury capacity, rhubarb, with its sharp flavour, is very good with oily fish as well as with rich meats such as pork and ham. The best chutney I have tasted is made with rhubarb – delectable.
Easy to freeze
And rhubarb can be preserved so easily – chopped into chunks and frozen in tough poly bags, it freezes beautifully.
Just a word of warning about cooking rhubarb…
Never be tempted to add water to it before cooking.
The rhubarb seeps so much juice at is softens, which is why it is such a shame to dilute its flavour by adding water, unnecessarily, to the pan before its cooking.
Here is a very simple, but completely delicious, special occasion pud containing rhubarb.
Rhubarb meringue bombe
(Serves 6-8)
Ingredients
- 6 ready-made meringues
- 500g rhubarb, weighed when trimmed at either end and chopped
- Finely grated rind of 1 orange and its juice
- 150g soft brown sugar
- 4-6 pieces of stem ginger, drained of their preserving syrup, and diced
- 300ml double cream, whipped in a large bowl
Method
- Cook the rhubarb by putting the chunks into a pan with the grated orange rind, its juice and the sugar.
- Cover the pan with its lid and cook gently till the chunks of rhubarb are soft but not collapsed into a mush.
- Cool, then strain into a bowl and using a handheld blender, whizz the rhubarb till smooth.
- Whip the double cream in a large bowl.
- Crunch each meringue in your hand (I love doing this) into the cream.
- When all the chunks and crumbs of meringue are in, add the pureed rhubarb and diced ginger.
- Fold all together swiftly and thoroughly.
- Pack this into a pudding bowl; bang the bowl hard on a work surface a couple of times to dislodge any air pockets, cover with a double layer of clingfilm and freeze till required.
- Before serving, take the bowl from the freezer and hold it in a sink filled with very hot water. Count to 15, then run a knife inside the edges of it and invert on to a serving plate.
- If it needs a few more seconds in the hot water, repeat the process.
- Put the serving dish and bombe in the fridge till you are ready to serve.
- You can turn it out just before beginning lunch or dinner.
Rhubarb, orange and thyme sauce
(Serves 6)
Ingredients
- 900g rhubarb, weighed when chopped into chunks, having trimmed off either end
- 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
- 1 onion, skinned, halved and chopped
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Finely grated rind of 1 orange and its juice
- 50g soft brown sugar
- 1 level tsp salt
- About 15 grinds of black pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over moderate heat.
- Add the chopped onion and fry till it is soft and transparent.
- Then add the thyme, chunks of rhubarb, grated orange rind and juice to the pan.
- Stir in the sugar, salt and black pepper.
- Cover the pan with its lid and cook gently, till the rhubarb is soft.
- Take the pan off the heat, and, using a handheld blender, whizz till you have a smooth sauce.
Read more …
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