Meatless Mondays: Rhubarb

My mom had a big patch of rhubarb growing in our back yard when I was growing up, and one of my favorite things to do each spring was to pretend the stalks with the giant, heart-shaped leaves were my parasol and I was a fancy princess/movie star/fairy.  After my brother and I had tired of playing with the rhubarb, my mom would throw away the leaves (they're toxic), thoroughly clean and chop the stalks, then simmer them with a bit of sugar to make a yummy mushy sauce.  We ate the sauce with pancakes, spread on bread, or as a topping for  yogurt.  Today, I have to pay $4 a pound or more for rhubarb that we used to beg our neighbors to take. 

What used to be free now costs me $5!!!

Rhubarb's gorgeous color belies its tangy bite

Rhubarb is a vegetable that most cooks treat like a fruit.  It is low in protein, fat, and calories while relatively high in vitamin A (key role in growth and development), vitamin C (collagen builder), and potassium (crucial for heart health and muscle contraction).  One-half cup of cooked rhubarb has a bit of calcium, but our bodies are unable to absorb it because it is bound to oxalic acid.  Oxalic acid is one of the compounds that gives the plant its distinctive mouth-puckering effect.  Some of the other compounds that give rhubarb its astringent flavor also make it nutritious.  Rhubarb is high in tannins (also found in tea and red wine) and phenols.  Tannins and phenols are being studied for potential anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and vasodilatory effects.  The red hue in the stalk comes from anthocyanins, the same compound that colors purple cabbage.  This compound also has anti-inflammatory properties and might protect blood vessel linings.  The rhubarb will turn redder when cooked with acid (like lemon juice) and bluish or brownish if you cook them with alkaline foods like sugar.  Avoid cooking rhubarb in iron or aluminum pots; some metal ions in the pots can interact with the acids in rhubarb and can darken the pot and the rhubarb.

Today, I make rhubarb compote for my kids, although they don't get to play parasol the way I did.  Chop rhubarb into 1-inch pieces.  2 pounds will yield 6-7 cups.  Put into a non-iron, non-aluminum saucepan.  Toss with 3/4-1 cup sugar.  Let stand until the rhubarb releases some liquid.  Thinly slice about an inch of ginger (to taste).  Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft but not completely mushy.  Remove from heat, let cool, and fish out the ginger slices.  Add a squeeze of lemon juice if it's too sweet.  This time, I also added a vanilla bean just to see.  It doesn't overwhelm the rhubarb or ginger flavor but rather gives mellows it out.  Serve as a sauce for sweet and savory foods.  It plays nicely with pork chops, yogurt, french toast, or just by itself. 

Strain the rhubarb to drain out the syrup

The resulting syrup and compote

You can also find lots of recipes for rhubarb pies (usually with strawberry), cakes, crumbles, and other sweet treats.  I tried rhubarb scones from a well-reviewed recipe.  Unfortunately, my food processor chopped the rhubarb so finely, you can't even see it, and my oven is on the fritz, which resulted in burned scones.  They look good from the top, but the bottom just makes me sad.

My other favorite thing to do with rhubarb is to make rhubarb syrup, which makes a yummy cosmo or soda when added to seltzer.  Chop 2 pounds of rhubarb into 1 inch pieces.  Put into a non-iron, non-aluminum saucepan with 1 cup sugar plus 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the rhubarb is soft.  Let cool then strain the liquid into a jar.  Reserve the solids, which will be sweeter than the compote recipe above.  Again, customize with your favorite add-ins.  Ginger, star anise, and citrus would all be delicious additions.  To make a cosmo, combine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker 2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce Cointreau, 1/2 - 1 ounce rhubarb syrup, and the juice of half of a lime.  Shake, strain, and enjoy!