Garden Fresh: Tart rhubarb a classic with strawberries

Rhubarb – it's in the gardens and at farmers' markets and produce sections. The rhubarb stalks are often paired with strawberries and put into jams and jellies, pies and ice cream toppings.

Rhubarb is by nature tart and requires lots of sugar. The leaves need to be cut off and thrown away because they are poisonous.

An easy way to use rhubarb is to cut the stalks into 1-inch pieces, add enough water to cover and then a cup or so of sugar to taste. Cook until it's soft and then serve alone with lots of buttered bread. Or use the stewed rhubarb as a topping for angel food cake, served with whipped cream.

Rhubarb-strawberry pies are spring classics. A recipe is included below.

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE

www.elise.com/recipes

3 cups rhubarb stalks cut into 1/2-inch pieces (Trim outside stringy layer of large rhubarb stalks; make sure to trim away any leaves, which are poisonous; trim ends.)

1 cup strawberries, stemmed and sliced

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of grated orange peel

Unbaked pastry for two-crust 9 inch pie

(If you're making a 10-inch pie, or just want more filling, use 4 1/2 cups of rhubarb, 1 1/2 cups strawberries and 1 1/4 cups of sugar.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the rhubarb and the strawberries with the sugar, tapioca, salt and orange rind. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Turn into a pastry-lined pan. Top with the pastry, trim the edge, and crimp the top and bottom edges together. Cut slits in the top for the steam to escape.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes longer (40 to 50 minutes longer if doing a 10-inch pie). Cool on a rack. Serve warm or cold. If you do cool to room temperature, the juices will have more time to thicken.

RHUBARB BREAD

www.rhubarbinfo.com

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk (or add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to fresh milk)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, oil and egg together, then add flour, milk, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla. Fold in rhubarb (and nuts, if wished). Place in two greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Combine sugar and butter and glaze over top of loaves. Bake for 1 hour. Makes 2 loaves.

CINNAMON-TOPPED RHUBARB MUFFINS

www.rhubarbinfo.com

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, combine brown sugar and butter. Beat at meduim speed until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). Add sour cream and eggs; continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes) In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. By hand, stir flour mixture into sour cream mixture just until moistened. Fold in rhubarb. Spoon into greased muffin pans.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle onto each muffin. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans.

RHUBARB BETTY

About.com: Southern Food

6 cups chopped rhubarb, about 3 pounds of rhubarb stalks

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 teaspoons grated lemon or orange zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups soft white breadcrumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, tapioca, lemon zest and salt; set aside. Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter and drizzle with vanilla; toss well. Fill a lightly buttered 1 1/2- to 2-quart casserole with alternating layers of rhubarb mixture and breadcrumb mixture, with rhubarb layer on bottom and finishing with a breadcrumb layer. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Remove cover and bake an additonal 10 minutes, or until top is browned. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

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