Despite being raised in different countries, my husband and I discovered we have many things in common, including some of our favorite foods. One food that we both love is rhubarb.
Rhubarb is a plant native to Asia and was used as medicine in ancient Greece and China. It was introduced in England in the 16th century as a medicinal plant and started to be used in cooking only in 17th century. Rhubarb was introduced to the United States in the 1820s. The peak use of rhubarb was between 1920 and 1950 and in present times this ingredient is often overlooked. In fact, every single time I purchase it at the supermarket, the cashier is never able to identify it.
Rhubarb has celery-like stalks that are pink or red in color. It is one of the first vegetables to be harvested in the spring. Technically, rhubarb is a vegetable although it is most often prepared as a fruit. Rhubarb can be cooked, sweetened with sugar, and makes a great filling for pies, tarts, or crumbles. Rhubarb can also be used to make jellies and jams.
Our family's favorite way of preparing rhubarb is a compote. The recipe originally comes from my husband's great-grandmother, and the compote here is served in a vintage china cup also from my husband's family. This rhubarb dessert is delicious, healthy, and very easy to make.
Ingredients:
2 lb trimmed rhubarb
½ cup sugar
water
Vanilla, cinnamon (optional)
Directions:
Cut rhubarb into 1 inch pieces. Place in a pot and cover with water. Cook rhubarb for about 10-15 minutes or until rhubarb is almost falling apart.
Drain some of the juice, according to preference, saving any extra rhubarb juice for other uses.
Whisk in the sugar, gently breaking the rhubarb pieces. If desired, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or a pinch of cinnamon. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Serve by itself, or with a dollop of vanilla yogurt.
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I am submitting this recipe for the 'Everything Old is New Again Vintage Recipe' contest at DomesticMuse.
I would like to thank Olga at Mango & Tomato for sharing the Friends award with me. I love her recipes and her pictures so please check out her fabulous blog!
