Some of my earliest memories include spending hours and hours running between the rows of vegetables at the community garden as I chased butterflies. While my grandparents were prolific farmers with acres and acres of their own in North Dakota, my parents just didn't have the space for a garden in our yard at the trailer park. But, the community garden worked just fine for raising corn, potatoes, and carrots.
And rhubarb.
Treat rhubarb like you would celery. Don't eat the leaves, just the stalk.
I never liked rhubarb when I was a kid. My mom liked it so much she would eat it raw. While that thought is enough to make me gag, I have learned that rhubarb can be absolutely amazing when prepared correctly. Given that my mom could barely boil hot dogs without setting the house on fire, it makes sense that I never quite learned to appreciate the uniquely beautiful fruit while she was in charge of creating dishes.
But now? Oh, now I'm trying to figure out a way to put rhubarb in everything. I suspect that Nutella and rhubarb would get along fabulously in some sort of cupcake. I want to pour a rhubarb compote over pancakes. I'm ready to try pairing rhubarb with blackberries. Soon, I will. In the meantime, this recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is a conservative way of getting a little of the tangy fruit. It's an amazing dessert, especially when paired with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
2 cups diced rhubarb (approximate 5-7 average size stalks)
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the diced rhubarb, sliced strawberries, white sugar, and corn starch in a 9x13" baking dish. Spread the mixture evenly across the baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the oatmeal, butter, brown sugar, and flour. (A hand mixer works well. Or your hands. Frankly, crisp recipes are crazy forgiving. You can do whatever you want and they still turn out fantastic.)
Sprinkle the oatmeal mixture over the fruit.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
It's incredible served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. INCREDIBLE.
Excuse me while I got eat a piece right now . . .