rhubarb : "pie plant" : not just "pink celery"
One of the most marvelous tastes of summer is that of the tangy veggie known as rhubarb. Even though it's truly a vegetable, when combined with a little bit of sugar, honey, or agave or maple syrup, and often another fruit, it can create a lovely sweet.
Having had rhubarb in combination with other fruits, I wanted to give it a shot on it's own and see how it held up; I was most definitely grateful I did.
spiced rhubarb "butter"
adapted from The View From the Great Island
ingredients:
1 lb rhubarb
scant ½ cup turbinado sugar (really any sugar or sweetener should do, unless it doesn't have crystalizing properties)
generous ¼ tsp ground ginger
generous ¼ tsp ground cardamom
zest of ½ lemon
juice from that half lemon
2 tbsp. water
First, clean the rhubarb stalks and slice into about 1-inch pieces.
Add to a heavy bottom sauce pan with the remaining ingredients and mix.
Bring mixture to a boil, and once the juices from the rhubarb begin to release, reduce heat to a low boil/simmer. Keep mixture on heat for 25-30 minutes, and as rhubarb breaks down, mix and crush with a wooden spoon. When the mixture looks thoroughly broken down, and quite reduced, turn off the heat.
Purée rhubarb mixture (I used a food processor), then jar and enjoy!
