Classic Rhubarb delights

Jun 6 2008

I DON'T know about all you posh Perth folk, but when I was growing up in Glasgow back in the 1970s, a stick of rhubarb dipped in a poke of sugar was considered a rare delicacy for the under-10s, writes Alison Lowson.

There was nothing beat the contrast between the sweet, granulated sugar, and the cheek-clenching sourness of this outlandishly coloured vegetable that seems to thrive in every Scottish garden.

Even adults weren't immune to its charms, and my dad used to get through bowls of the stuff, stewed with sugar, and topped with crumbled tea biscuits.

Although most people treat rhubarb like a fruit, it's actually a member of the Polygonaceae family and is related to sorrel.

Used as a medicine in ancient China, it was brought to Europe by Marco Polo and has been eaten as food since the 18th century.

Forced rhubarb (grown in the dark) has yellowish leaves and usually appears in January. The field-grown variety replaces it around April and is less tender but often more flavourful.

It is a good source of fibre and contains moderate levels of vitamin C and calcium.

Studies have even linked the fibre from rhubarb in the diet with reduced cholesterol levels.

When buying or picking rhubarb, choose crisp, firm, plump stalks with good colour.

Kept in the fridge, fresh rhubarb will stay in reasonable condition for up to two weeks. Raw and cooked rhubarb also freeze well.

As well as making deliciously comforting puddings, its sharpness works extremely well with meat and oily fish dishes.

This week I've selected two recipes from the BBC's food website (www.bbc.co.uk).

The first is a classic crumble recipe, courtesy of James Martin, while the second is a more exotic Rhubarb Vodka, courtesy of Justin Gellatly. First, the crumble which should serve four people.

INGREDIENTS –

10 sticks of rhubarb.

4 tbsp water.

8 tbsp caster sugar.

1 tsp powdered ginger.

110g/4oz butter, softened.

110g/4oz demerara sugar.

180-200g/6-7oz flour.

TO SERVE – Ice cream or double cream.

METHOD –

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Cut the rhubarb into 7½cm/3in long sticks and place on an oven tray, sprinkle with the water and caster sugar and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

3. Once cooked, remove from the oven, sprinkle over the ginger and mix well.

4. Fill an ovenproof dish about 4cm/1½in deep with the rhubarb.

5. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar to make the crumble toppping. Sprinkle over the rhubarb and bake in the oven.

6. Remove and allow to cool slightly before serving with ice cream or double cream.

NEXT up is Rhubarb Vodka, which should make 1 litre/1¾ pints following these instructions.

INGREDIENTS –

1 litre/1¾ pints vodka.

2 rhubarb sticks.

½ lemon, zest only.

3 cloves.

1 cinnamon stick.

3 tbsp sugar.

METHOD –

1. Crush rhubarb with a mortar and pestle and place in a kilner jar with sugar. Leave to macerate for two days.

2. Add the cloves, cinnamon and zest and cover with vodka.

3. Leave the jar in a cool dark place for three weeks, but shake daily.

4. Filter through muslin, re-bottle and leave for three months before drinking.