There's a militant group of gardners and gourmets out there pushing to change the name of a much-maligned vegetable - rhubarb.
They want to return it to its previous splendor when it was known simply as "pie plant."Sounds deliciously better, don't you think? (While we're at it, let's call those wonderful-but-fattening avocados "thigh plants" and onions "cry plants."
Over the years, these rhubarb ralliers say, a negative reputation has been unfairly tagged to the ruby stalks.
It probably began centuries ago when your ancient soothsayer Uncle Bruce ground up dried rhubarb roots and fed the potion to cousin Thor for his tummyache. Thor was not thrilled with the potion's effects and bad-mouthed rhubarb far and wide.
Then, those World War I-era political persons in Washington told us that we should consume lots and lots of rhubarb. AND, they said, rhubarb leaves made a dandy vegetable supplement.
It was, unfortunately, discovered that rhubarb leaves contained a potentially fatal toxin after a slew of patriotic Americans became ill when they ingested the elephant-ear-sized leaves.
That's when the phrase "leaf me alone" originated - along with mistrust of politicians.
Once again, rhubarb was being spotlighted with a dim bulb.
To this day, tune in to any sporting event and watch for a couple of minutes. Betcha that as soon as a fight breaks out (the NBA has recently instigated a "frequent- fighter program"), the sportscaster uses the word "rhubarb" to describe the melee.
Continued bad press for Mr. Rhubarb!
But there was a rhubarb advocate in the emerging gardens of America. Kindly and bespectacled Benjamin Franklin, flier of kites and spouter of wise quotations, is said to have ADORED rhubarb.
Or was it chocolate?
Anyway, Ben shipped the first plants from Europe to the colonies and was overheard in the hallways of Philadelphia prattling away about adopting rhubarb as the national vegetable.
Now, you wonder if the snappy stuff is a vegetable or a fruit. Botanically, rhubarb is a vegetable but is thought of as a fruit.
In no uncertain terms, "The Joy of Cooking" says, "only with the wildest stretch of imagination can rhubarb be included in this chapter (fruits), but its tart flavor and its customary uses make it a reasonable facsimile, when cooked, of fruit."
The rhubarb found in markets now was probably home-grown. Bountiful farmers are selling their crops to local chains. The hothouse-grown variety of rhubarb is available year-round.
So, what do you look for when shopping for this perennial herb of the buckwheat family.
Firm, crisp, fairly thick cherry red or pink stalks that are tender would be considered the Robert Redford of rhubarb. Avoid wilted or extremely thick stalks as they might be fibrous and tough.
Should you choose a less-than-Redford rasher of rhubarb, you can peel them, just as you would celery stalks. Use as little water as possible when cooking, and remove the coarsest strings.
Rhubarb freezes well. Cut the stalks in 1-inch pieces and put them in freezer bags with no sugar. Or buy bags of already-chopped rhubarb, found near a familiar companion, the frozen strawberry.
Mark my words.
Next winter, when cabin fever has you climbing the walls; when the incessant grunting, oomphing, blowing whistles and "deez, dats, and doze" dialects of football sportscasters are driving you gaga, you can grab that recipe file, yank open the freezer and get into your very own rhubarb.
It's easy as pie.
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Additional Information
Recipes
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB BREAD PUDDING
6 slices (1/2-inch thick) brioche or other light egg bread, crust removed
2 cups strawberries
11/2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
11/4 cups milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Place bread slices on rack and toast at 350 degrees until light, golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Toss strawberries and rhubarb with 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside. Scald milk, cream and vanilla. Beat eggs, egg yolk and the 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk warm milk into egg mixture. Strain custard and set aside. Grease bottom of 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Pour all but 1 cup of strawberry-rhubarb mixture into bottom of pan. Layer half of the bread slices over fruit, then 1/2 cup fruit, remaining bread slices and remaining 1/2 cup fruit. Pour custard over all and press bread into custard.
Let sit about 5 minutes or until bread is soaked. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and dot with butter. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil and place in larger baking or roasting pan. Add boiling water to outside roasting pan until almost full. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 30 minutes until custard is set and top is browned. Serves 8.
- Each serving contains 210 calories, 9 g fat, 26 g carb, 167 mg sodium, 127 mg cholesterol.
RHUBARB BREAD
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup cooking oil
1 egg
1 cup sour milk (add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or distilled white vinegar to 1 cup regular milk)
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
21/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
11/2 cups rhubarb, finely cut
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup nuts, optional
Cream sugars with oil and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg. Mix dry ingredients and add, alternating with milk. Fold in rhubarb, vanilla and nuts. Spoon into two medium-size loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees about 45 to 50 minutes or until brown.
- Each serving contains 166 calories, 8 g fat, 22 g carb, 73 mg sodium, 10 mg cholesterol.
FRESH RHUBARB PIE
2-crust pastry shell
4 cups rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/3 cup unsifted flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 or 3 drops red food coloring (optional)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Glaze (optional):
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make pastry as directed and place half into a 9-inch pie pan; do not trim edge. Roll remaining pastry into a 12-inch circle and cut steam slits in center; cover with cloth while you prepare filling. Toss rhubarb with enough sugar to sweeten, then mix in flour, salt, and food coloring if rhubarb is pale.
Pile in pie shell and dot with butter. Brush pastry rim with cold water, fit top crust over rhubarb, trim, seal and crimp edges. For a glistening crust, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 40 to 50 minutes (with foil on rack below to catch drips) until browned and bubbling. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting. Good with cream, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serves 8.
- Each serving contains 284 calories, 18 g fat, 28 g carb, 188 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol.
- From "The New Doubleday Cookbook" by Jean Anderson & Elaine Hanna RHUBARB APPLESAUCE
3 pounds fresh rhubarb, chopped into small pieces
4 medium apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Combine rhubarb, apples, juice, sugar, zest and cinnamon in large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until rhubarb and apples are soft. Cool to room temperature; stir in vanilla extract. Serves 12.
- Each serving contains 95 calories, 0 g fat, 22 g carb, 3 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol.
WARM RICE PUDDING WITH RASPBERRIES AND RHUBARB
1/2 cup long grain rice
21/2 cups milk
11/2 tablespoons butter
Grated rind from 2 lemons
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup rhubarb, finely cut
In a large saucepan, bring 1 quart water to boil. Add rice and boil 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in separate saucepan, place 21/2 cups milk, butter, lemon and cook on low heat until scalded. Add the 1/2 cup sugar, raisins and vanilla. Drain rice thoroughly and stir into scalded milk. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture just begins to boil. Cover pan tightly and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. (Rice will be very tender but still liquid).
In small bowl, beat egg yolks with the 3/4 cup milk. Gradually stir egg mixture into rice. Cover pan and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and pour pudding into serving bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on top of pudding to prevent skin from forming. In small skillet, melt the 1/2 cup sugar until it liquifies and is a medium amber color. Remove from heat. Mix the 1/2 cup rhubarb and 1/2 cup of the raspberries.
Add rhubarb/raspberry mixture to liquified sugar. Cool to room temperature, then gently stir in remaining raspberries. To serve, spoon raspberry mixture over rice pudding and top with crumbled sugar cookies, if desired. Serves 8.
- Each serving contains 230 calories, 55 g fat, 42 g carb, 74 mg sodium, 66 mg cholesterol.
RHUBARB CAKE
11/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup sour milk or buttermilk
11/2 cups rhubarb, finely cut
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream brown sugar and margarine. Stir in egg and beat until creamy. Combine flour and soda. Mix into creamed margarine, alternating with buttermilk. Fold in rhubarb and stir in vanilla. Spread in 2 quart microwaveable bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top of cake batter. Microwave on high about 20 minutes. Turn dish a quarter-turn after first 10 minutes of cooking time. Serves 12.
- From "Amana Radarrange Cookbook"
- Each serving contains 302 calories, 10 g fat, 52 g carb, 205 mg sodium, 1 mg cholesterol.
RHUBARB TORTE
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups sliced rhubarb
1/2 cup water
Few drops red food coloring
1/2 cup whipping cream
11/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 small package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
Prepare crust by mixing graham crackers, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 4 tablespoons melted butter. Pat into 71/2-by-12-inch pyrex pan. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes. Cool. Combine sugar, cornstarch, rhubarb and water and cook until thick, several minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Add coloring and spread over cooled graham cracker crust.
Whip cream and fold in marshmallows and spread over cooled rhubarb mixture. Cover with the vanilla pudding, mixed according to directions. Sprinkle with a few graham cracker crumbs and chill. Serves 10.
- Each serving contains 278 calories, 9 g fat, 51 g carb, 199 mg sodium, 26 mg cholesterol.