Rhubarb and Summer
I know, i know. Rhubarb is a Spring thing. But here i norge, it's early summer that it shows up! And somewhere in the jungle that is my garden ('tomt' in norsk, which also is used sometimes to mean 'empty' - indicating the amount of work that i have managed to get done in it in this first year), appeared a gift from the past -- Rhubarb! Actually i didn't know it was there until when i came back from Istanbul (see here) and suddenly, there it was -- huge, slightly menacing and almost finished! Indeed, it had already gone to seed!!
Now, Rhubarb is a strange plant. To me it looks almost extra-terrestrial. When it starts, it grows so fast that you don't want to stand still close to it for too long! And those giant leaves..... The poisonous ones, right? A perfect roof for slugs. And, it grows in the most unsavoury places in your garden. Mine grow just downhill of my septic tank. Hmm. I guess that's a good thing, right? I give to them, they give back! Anyway, whatever their architectural features, cut those giant leaves away, slice off the stalk and boyoboy, you got something good! Sour. Crunchy. Just the ingredient to use in contrast to all those savoury, sweet things we cook up. The key to cooking it is twofold. Either keep it crunchy, or make it so smooth that it goes unctuous!
Right, this calls for emergency action! There's a fair bit of rhubarb to get thru, and i'm not gonna let it go to waste.... What can i do? Well, i can always cook some and freeze it. Just give it a little blanche and put it in bags. But fresh is best in my book, so let's get creative!
The following two recipes are just some of the things i came up with....
Now, Rhubarb is a strange plant. To me it looks almost extra-terrestrial. When it starts, it grows so fast that you don't want to stand still close to it for too long! And those giant leaves..... The poisonous ones, right? A perfect roof for slugs. And, it grows in the most unsavoury places in your garden. Mine grow just downhill of my septic tank. Hmm. I guess that's a good thing, right? I give to them, they give back! Anyway, whatever their architectural features, cut those giant leaves away, slice off the stalk and boyoboy, you got something good! Sour. Crunchy. Just the ingredient to use in contrast to all those savoury, sweet things we cook up. The key to cooking it is twofold. Either keep it crunchy, or make it so smooth that it goes unctuous!
Right, this calls for emergency action! There's a fair bit of rhubarb to get thru, and i'm not gonna let it go to waste.... What can i do? Well, i can always cook some and freeze it. Just give it a little blanche and put it in bags. But fresh is best in my book, so let's get creative!
The following two recipes are just some of the things i came up with....
Rhubarb Cream
At least, that is what i call it. I got the inspiration from those fabulous Turkish cold vegetable dishes called "zeytinyağlılar" - braised vegetables with olive oil -- which are cooked with equal parts water and oil and served cold. Here i used equal parts butter, water and sugar. It is quite simple really, just cut the rhubarb up in chunks, put them in a sauce pan with equal parts butter, water and sugar (you can vary the sugar, of course, but don't make it too sweet because you can always add sweetness later). And now, here is the trick to turn ordinary common-garden variety rhubarb into something really exotic. Add just a very small drop of Orange Flower Water (you can get it from Middle Eastern grocery stores) to the pan. This will add just a hint of the most flowery exotic flavour to it! Heat the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the rhubarb off the heat and let cool. You will see that the butter, water and rhubarb juice will have started to emulsify. Pour it in a blender and whizz until it is really smooth. Pour it out (you can use a strainer but if you have whizzed it well, you won't really need one) into a bowl.
Then take some Greek or other live yoghurt and mix about 1 part yoghurt to 2 parts rhubarb. At this point i adjust the sweetness with a dollop of maple syrup (you could equally use golden syrup). You could also scrape the seeds from half a vanilla pod and add them at this point. Mix it together and serve in small clear bowls with a sprinkling of something crunchy on top. I use flaked almonds which i have browned slightly in a dry fry pan.
The result is a wonderful unctuous creamy exotic mousse without eggs or flour, and a delightful crunchy contrast. Complete with the exotic hint of Orange Flowers. Mmmm!
At least, that is what i call it. I got the inspiration from those fabulous Turkish cold vegetable dishes called "zeytinyağlılar" - braised vegetables with olive oil -- which are cooked with equal parts water and oil and served cold. Here i used equal parts butter, water and sugar. It is quite simple really, just cut the rhubarb up in chunks, put them in a sauce pan with equal parts butter, water and sugar (you can vary the sugar, of course, but don't make it too sweet because you can always add sweetness later). And now, here is the trick to turn ordinary common-garden variety rhubarb into something really exotic. Add just a very small drop of Orange Flower Water (you can get it from Middle Eastern grocery stores) to the pan. This will add just a hint of the most flowery exotic flavour to it! Heat the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the rhubarb off the heat and let cool. You will see that the butter, water and rhubarb juice will have started to emulsify. Pour it in a blender and whizz until it is really smooth. Pour it out (you can use a strainer but if you have whizzed it well, you won't really need one) into a bowl.
Then take some Greek or other live yoghurt and mix about 1 part yoghurt to 2 parts rhubarb. At this point i adjust the sweetness with a dollop of maple syrup (you could equally use golden syrup). You could also scrape the seeds from half a vanilla pod and add them at this point. Mix it together and serve in small clear bowls with a sprinkling of something crunchy on top. I use flaked almonds which i have browned slightly in a dry fry pan.
The result is a wonderful unctuous creamy exotic mousse without eggs or flour, and a delightful crunchy contrast. Complete with the exotic hint of Orange Flowers. Mmmm!
Rhubarb and Strawberry Salsa
Summer is time for tacos and other Mexican dishes, right? Well, okay, i like 'em all year round, but one of the joys of many of these type of MexiCali dishes is that they don't take a lot of cooking, and it can happen on the barbecue, outside. Nice when the days are hot! Here in the Land of 20 hour Sun (this far south), Mexican food is surprisingly popular. Well, okay, its no surprise i guess. But what is surprising is the amount of Mexican ingredients on sale in the supermarkets. No. Really. There are three separate brands of them. I never saw more than two in the UK. You can even get almost-corn tortillas (well, 30% corn....). Of course, we are talking norwegian supermarkets here -- Trader Joes it ain't (!). And, inevitably, the flavours are dulled down, both because it is all pre-prepared food, and made for the nordic market (Or what they think nordic people want. Do nordic people really want dull flavourless food? Not the ones i serve my food to....) And worst of all are the salsas! Drecky red acidy versions of ketchup. Blech....
What is a salsa? To me it is the freshest part of the taco equation. The bit of fresh, green, red, limey, biting, salty crowning glory that sets off the dark and murky flavour of refritos and moles. Salsa is the bit of the dance which gets our tastebuds jigging! Salsas should be fresh!! Only fresh!! Well, okay, there are a few acceptable options like Arriba Tomatillo Salsa. But they are few and you cannae get em in norway, pal (Check out this website from my pals in Scotland -- Lupe Pintos! They have everything you need, but you have to live in the UK).
So what to do? Make 'em yersel, pal! :>)
And really, you can use almost anything fresh to make a salsa. It can be green. It can be red. It can be orange. But it has to be fresh! Combine fresh ingredients like avocados with tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro (coriander), green onions, parsley and a wee bittie of hot sauce and you've got a mouth-smacking hit of FRESHNESS that wakes up your tastebuds and compliments the meaty, savoury, dark flavours of much of Mexican food. I have been experimenting with alternatives ever since my daughter in San Diego (Hi Rama!) and her husband (Hi Derek!) made me a MANGO Salsa. Yes, Mango Salsa. And it was wonderful. I'll put a recipe up for it on another paqe soon. Mangos are a very European fruit these daze and you deserve to make it for yourselves one time.
Mango eh? No mangos today. But lots of Rhubarb! Hmm.....
So, Rhubarb Salsa it is. Here's what you do.
Take a few stalks (maybe four, depending upon size) of rhubarb and cut them into very small slices (1/8" - 3 mm). Make up some sugar syrup (3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Boil for fifteen minutes. Done.) Roughly cut a small handful of cilantro and throw it into the boiling syrup and let it infuse for the last half of the cooking process. Put your rhubarb slices in a clean jar and pour the hot syrup over them. Let them sit for a minimum of an hour, up to two days in the fridge.
What is a salsa? To me it is the freshest part of the taco equation. The bit of fresh, green, red, limey, biting, salty crowning glory that sets off the dark and murky flavour of refritos and moles. Salsa is the bit of the dance which gets our tastebuds jigging! Salsas should be fresh!! Only fresh!! Well, okay, there are a few acceptable options like Arriba Tomatillo Salsa. But they are few and you cannae get em in norway, pal (Check out this website from my pals in Scotland -- Lupe Pintos! They have everything you need, but you have to live in the UK).
So what to do? Make 'em yersel, pal! :>)
And really, you can use almost anything fresh to make a salsa. It can be green. It can be red. It can be orange. But it has to be fresh! Combine fresh ingredients like avocados with tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro (coriander), green onions, parsley and a wee bittie of hot sauce and you've got a mouth-smacking hit of FRESHNESS that wakes up your tastebuds and compliments the meaty, savoury, dark flavours of much of Mexican food. I have been experimenting with alternatives ever since my daughter in San Diego (Hi Rama!) and her husband (Hi Derek!) made me a MANGO Salsa. Yes, Mango Salsa. And it was wonderful. I'll put a recipe up for it on another paqe soon. Mangos are a very European fruit these daze and you deserve to make it for yourselves one time.
Mango eh? No mangos today. But lots of Rhubarb! Hmm.....
So, Rhubarb Salsa it is. Here's what you do.
Take a few stalks (maybe four, depending upon size) of rhubarb and cut them into very small slices (1/8" - 3 mm). Make up some sugar syrup (3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Boil for fifteen minutes. Done.) Roughly cut a small handful of cilantro and throw it into the boiling syrup and let it infuse for the last half of the cooking process. Put your rhubarb slices in a clean jar and pour the hot syrup over them. Let them sit for a minimum of an hour, up to two days in the fridge.
While the rhubarb is marinating (yes, that is actually what is going on with it....) you can prepare the rest of the ingredients. Take one or two green onions, a handful of cilantro, four small tomatoes, and maybe a quarter of a big red pepper and chop them really fine. Combine in a bowl and squeeze the juice of one lime and maybe half a lemon over them. You can use other fresh veg too -- anything crunchy and fresh like courgettes, red onions, or blanched asparagus - just chop them really fine.
Drain your marinated rhubarb in a sieve or colander and tip them in the bowl. Add a good pinch of salt (salt is important because you want your salsa to have all the flavours - salty, sweet, fresh and green) and a couple of glugs of your favourite hot sauce (it doesn't have to be Mexican, sirarcha works great!).
And now, HERE's THE TRICK! What grows at the same time of year as rhubarb? STRAWBERRIES! Jep. Take maybe four medium size ripe strawberries and slice them fairly chunky. Add this to the mix and mix em up! Let them sit and infuse for a half an hour.
And you will have the most flavourful mouth treat you could imagine. I use this on enchiladas and tacos, on burritos and quesadillas. I also use it with pulled pork and slow cooked pork rib. It would be great with steaks. Even better with grilled salmon. It peps up vegetarian dishes too. Have it with grilled courgettes, grains like bulgar or rice, or even grilled tofu. Wherever you need a kick up the tastebuds, this is the thing to reach for.
It lasts a week or so in the fridge but i have never made it that long. It gets eaten up long before it could go bad! This is, i think the happiest and most copacetic use for rhubarb i have ever encountered. Go ahead, i challenge you. Make some. You'll love it!
Drain your marinated rhubarb in a sieve or colander and tip them in the bowl. Add a good pinch of salt (salt is important because you want your salsa to have all the flavours - salty, sweet, fresh and green) and a couple of glugs of your favourite hot sauce (it doesn't have to be Mexican, sirarcha works great!).
And now, HERE's THE TRICK! What grows at the same time of year as rhubarb? STRAWBERRIES! Jep. Take maybe four medium size ripe strawberries and slice them fairly chunky. Add this to the mix and mix em up! Let them sit and infuse for a half an hour.
And you will have the most flavourful mouth treat you could imagine. I use this on enchiladas and tacos, on burritos and quesadillas. I also use it with pulled pork and slow cooked pork rib. It would be great with steaks. Even better with grilled salmon. It peps up vegetarian dishes too. Have it with grilled courgettes, grains like bulgar or rice, or even grilled tofu. Wherever you need a kick up the tastebuds, this is the thing to reach for.
It lasts a week or so in the fridge but i have never made it that long. It gets eaten up long before it could go bad! This is, i think the happiest and most copacetic use for rhubarb i have ever encountered. Go ahead, i challenge you. Make some. You'll love it!
