Spring Fling: Rhubarb Chutney & More Savory Recipes by Liz Gray in In Season, May 4, 2011
We’re teaming up with food and garden bloggers to host Spring Fling 2011, a season-long garden party. In coming weeks, we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. Recently, we dove into the world of asparagus — today, we’re exploring rhubarb.
Ah, rhubarb. I learned to love this plant’s bright pink stalks at an early age when they sprouted up all over my family’s garden. We ate it all — strawberry-rhubarb pie, rhubarb compote, rhubarb crisp — everything except the savory stuff.
This year, I decided to change that. After all, it is officially a vegetable, even if I’ll always be partial to rhubarb crumble. Here’s are my favorite savory takes on this spring classic.
Rhubarb, Sans (All) the Sugar
My first thought for a savory take on rhubarb: a chutney. But many rhubarb chutney recipes are still packed with sugar, drowning out the tart flavor I wanted to highlight. The recipe below uses just a little honey, and gets a kick of spice from allspice and fresh ginger.
Quick Rhubarb Chutney
Adapted From Terrance Brennan, Charlyne Mattox and Alex Guarnaschelli
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon grated peeled ginger
4 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup water
1 pound rhubarb stalks, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Directions:
Heat oil in a medium saute pan. Add the shallots, allspice, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just softened. Add the ginger and cook 1 minute more. Add the rhubarb, honey and water to the pan. Cook until the rhubarb is just tender — you don’t want it to fall apart. Remove fruit heat and stir in red wine vinegar.
Serve atop chicken, pork or salmon, alongside bread or biscuits or paired with sharp white cheddar or Manchego cheese.
More Savory Ways To Serve Rhubarb:
- Tabla’s Rhubarb Chutney
- Fearless Foodie’s Mustard Greeens With Rhubarb
- Rhubarb Salsa
- Ruby Port and Rhubarb Marinade
- Roasted Asparagus With Rhubarb Vinegar
- Pork Chops With Sherry-Berry Pan Gravy and Rhubarb Chutney
TELL US: Do you go sweet or savory with rhubarb? Shout it out in the comments, or join the coversation on Twitter at #cookingwith.
More Rhubarb Recipes From Family and Friends:
- Food2: The Savory Side of Rhubarb
- Pinch My Salt: Strawberry-Rhubarb Fool
- Healthy Eats: Rhubarb Chutney
- White On Rice Couple: Rhubarb Crumb Bars
- What’s Gaby Cooking: Rhubarb Margarita
- A Way to Garden: Making Sweet Order of Rhubarb
- Cooking Channel: In Season: Rhubarb
-
More posts from Liz Gray.
Love the idea of using rhubarb in savory cooking. Must try! One of my family's favorite rhubarb recipes is a shortcake with fresh rosemary, rhubarb and strawberries: http://wickedgooddinner.blogspot.com/2010/03/rhub…
I usually go sweet with rhubarb, but not too sweet. With strawberries it can be a little too sweet – I like to enjoy rhubarb on its own terms. I made these easy rhubarb crepes a couple weeks ago that are a great way to enjoy it:
http://www.quincesandthepea.com/sunday-sweets-rhu…
Unfortunately, I can't enjoy it anymore because it's almost impossible to find here in Washington, DC this spring.
Beautiful pictures!
Very cool. Could not get rhubarb in my neighborhood for two years so I made this Champagne Hibiscus Cocktail that tastes of raspberry and rhubarb for Spring Fling/ see here at http://www.dejavucook.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/champagne...
I have a few stalks of rhubarb hanging out in my crisper – will have to give one of these a whirl. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you for the inspiration! I tried your chutney recipe (with a few substitutions) and it was delicious. I credited you in my blog post: http://www.liveinart.org/2012/05/gingered-rhubarb…. Thank you!
Sources…
Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitor…
The Absent Game…
Between me and my husband we have owned extra MP3 players through the years than I can count, together with Sansas, iRivers, iPods (common & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few decades I’ve settled down to one line of gamers….
Thorn of Girl…
Very good information and facts may be located on this website blogging site….
The Birch of the Shadow…
I think there could be a couple of duplicates, but an exceedingly helpful list! I have tweeted this. Numerous thanks for sharing!…
The Ships’s Voyages…
I feel technologies just causes it to be even worse. Now there is a channel to never ever care, now there would not be a prospect for them to find….