Don’t be a sourpuss when it comes to rhubarb
The rhubarb patch that bordered my parents’ vegetable garden was a sacred place.
Its overall health was a regular topic of conversation at our nightly dinner table. The rhubarb’s red knees poking through the soil were a true sign of spring. It was fed nearly as regularly as we were, but its favorite dish was a soup made from water and horse manure applied liberally throughout the season.
The patch itself was a forbidden zone for wayward children and pets. But the admonishment to stay away drew us like magnets to those fat, rosy stalks and elephant-ear leaves. Though magnificent, the leaves were poisonous, my mother warned, and we weren’t to touch them. But when she wasn’t looking, we wore them as tutus and capes, and used them to fan each other like Cleopatra floating down the Nile.
Although my rhubarb patch today pales in comparison, we have had a very good harvest this year. And so I was keeping my eyes peeled for some non-dessert uses to expand my rhubarb repertoire. Eventually, I hit the jackpot when I discovered Short Stack Editions cookbooks and one in particular, “Rhubarb” by Sheri Castle.
Short Stacks are a series of small-format cookbooks, each independent of the others and each devoted to a single ingredient. The 48-page volumes have the feel of giveaway cookbook pamphlets from the 1950s, ones that touted recipes using Jell-O or Crisco. But Short Stacks also feel handmade. The covers are heavy cardboard with colorful patterns or illustrations that reflect the ingredient. The books are printed on vibrant paper, which can compromise readability in some editions. They are hand-sewn and even initialed by the stitcher at the small publishing house where they are bound.
Each features a charming introduction to the ingredient, a collection of recipes and clever illustrations throughout. You can buy them individually — $14 a piece — or in bundles at a small discount.
Castle’s take on rhubarb starts with her own memories of dipping the sour stalks in sugar, then crunching into them on a hot summer afternoon at her grandmother’s house. She notes that rhubarb is a member of the buckwheat family and is related to sorrel, which also packs a tangy punch.
She loves to turn rhubarb into refreshing beverages and includes a recipe for rhubarb shrub — a heavy, sweet-and-sour syrup. She offers a handful of sweets — trifle, crumb cake, jam, pie — and an impressive number of savory recipes, Rhubarb & Root Vegetable Tagine with Pistachio Couscous among them.
This recipe had me at cinnamon, garam masala and chickpeas, and it really lived up to my expectations.
A tagine is a stew. This one calls for rutabaga and parsnips, two vegetables not readily available this time of year, so I turned to cauliflower and doubled up on the carrots. But you could substitute any seasonal vegetables — zucchini, green beans, potatoes — and still end up with a pot full of good-for-you comfort food, a bold, bright mix where rhubarb plays a vital role.
Please don’t skip the pistachio couscous. With the chickpeas and currants, those crunchy bites of salted nuts really add another dimension.
There are a lot of ingredients here, but if you tackle all the prep first — all the peeling and chopping and measuring — and group the ingredients in the order in which the recipe dictates, the cooking will be a breeze.
Enjoy!
Jill Blanchette is the multiplatform production editor at The Day. Share comments and recipes with her at j.blanchette@theday.com.
Rhubarb & Vegetable Tagine with Pistachio Couscous
For the tagine:
5 tablespoons clarified butter or vegetable oil, divided (I used regular salted butter.)
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon garam masala (I used a commercial blend, but if you're feeling adventurous you can make your own.)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 rutabaga (12-ounces), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks (I used cauliflower.)
2 small sweet potatoes (8 ounces), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
2 medium carrots (4 ounces), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
2 medium parsnips (4 ounces), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks (I used more carrots.)
2 large red and/or yellow peppers, cored and cut into bite-size chunks
8 ounces fresh rhubarb, cut into bite-size chunks
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
One 14.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup currants or raisins
Pomegranate molasses and harissa paste (optional for serving)
For the pistachio couscous:
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1½ cups uncooked couscous
½ cup shelled and salted whole pistachios
Make the tagine: Add 2 tablespoons of clarified butter to a Dutch oven and place over medium heat. When the butter is warm, add the onion slices and stir to distribute the butter. Cover the pan and cook until softened, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garam masala, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
Add another 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and heat it over medium. Add the rutabaga, sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips and stir to coat. Cover and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure any left-behind spices don't scorch. (Add a splash of water if needed.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the bowl of onions.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in the same pan over medium heat. Stir in the peppers and rhubarb; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
Return the onion-vegetable mixture to the pot with the peppers and rhubarb. Stir in the stock and tomatoes and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and currants and heat through. Taste the broth and adjust the salt and pepper as needed; the stew should be bold and bright. Keep everything warm over low heat.
Meanwhile, make the couscous: In a large saucepan, bring the stock, olive oil and salt to a boil. Stir in the couscous. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let stand until the couscous absorbs the liquid, 7 to 10 minutes.
Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the pistachios. Spoon the couscous into shallow bowls and top with ladles of the tagine. Finish with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses (I used maple syrup) and harissa paste (sriracha or your favorite hot sauce).
Original recipe from "Rhubarb" by Sheri Castle.
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