15 Surprising Savory Rhubarb Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to peel rhubarb before cooking? ›

Peeling rhubarb is rarely necessary. Most recipes require the rhubarb to be cut into batons. Using a paring knife, top and tail the stem, slice at an angle into the size that the recipe requires – this could vary from 1 inch chunks for quick-stewed rhubarb to longer batons for roasting or poaching.

"Once you let it simmer, and it's soft, let it sit overnight. Now you have these tender ribbons that you can jar up, or you can put them on anything." Removing the first layer of skin will take away its "rubbery taste" and bring out the stalk's most appealing flavors, and the brown sugar will temper the tartness.

Rhubarb is a truly special ingredient. With its vivid pink colour and distinctively tangy taste, it can be stewed, poached, roasted and puréed in a range of dishes as well as drinks. Use it in a comforting crumble, a classic syllabub, a fruity chutney or a zingy kebab sauce – the possibilities are endless.

“You do not need to wash the stalks until you are ready to use them or freeze them,” says Cooper. “When you are ready to use fresh rhubarb, rinse them for 20 seconds with water and dry on a clean cloth.” Remove and throw away leaves and trim the ends of the rhubarb.

Rhubarb is a rich source of nutrients providing 45% of Daily Value of Vitamin K in a serving size of 1 cup. In addition, rhubarb contains Vitamin C and A, along with Folate, Riboflavin, and Niacin. Rhubarb provides 32% of Daily Value of manganese in a serving.

Solution: Soak the rhubarb in water to reduce the acid, simmer in orange juice and sugar (and don't stir too much) to retain texture and color, and layer with lightly whipped, sweetened cream for ideal flavor and texture and an attractive, unusual presentation.

In Jenny's mind, rhubarb needs little more than two additional ingredients and 30 minutes in the oven to come to life. It also can rely on some of nature's best sweeteners—honey and orange juice—to bring it to its sweetest, most flavorful heights.

Limp rhubarb can be perked up by standing the stems upright in chilled water for about an hour. A word of warning: rhubarb leaves are poisonous due to their relatively high oxalic acid content and must be discarded. The shredded leaves, mixed with water, were once used as an insecticide to spray over plants and bushes.

If you already have kidney disease, avoid rhubarb. Kidney stones: Rhubarb contains a chemical that the body can convert into kidney stones. If you have ever had kidney stones, don't take rhubarb.

How many cups is two pounds of rhubarb? ›

A cup is a measure of volume while pounds is a measure of weight so a direct calculation is difficult. If we only take liquid weight into account, one cup is eight ounces and two pounds would be 32 ounces so two pounds of rhubarb would equate to 4 cups.

Yes, absolutely! Once washed, cut the lengths into rough 2.5cm pieces. Space out on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and freeze until frozen (around 2hr). Then decant into a freezer bag or freezer-proof container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Slugs eat rhubarb leaves but the mesh would obviously not stop them, so it is something bigger. Possums will also eat the leaves and seem to survive the Oxalic Acid they contain. Birds such as Pukekos will also eat the leaves.

Rhubarb, when mixed with strawberries, gives you that sourness to balance the sweetness and the complexity.

So, in conclusion: You don't have to peel rhubarb before eating it. Of course, you can if you want to. But doing it means that some of the lovely red flavor is going to disappear. I usually just prepare rhubarb by rinsing it and then cutting it into thin slices!

To prepare: Wash the stems and cut off the leaves and the ends. Cut into 2cm lengths, removing any strings if necessary. Stew or poach in some water and a little sugar. When making a crumble or a pie, the rhubarb does not need to be cooked first.

No, you do not need to peel rhubarb before cooking it. The skin of rhubarb stalks is edible, and it softens during cooking. Just make sure you wash the stalks before cooking them.

So yes, green rhubarb is safe to eat, with the same caveats as apply to any rhubarb. Especially, don't eat the leaves. In On Food and Cooking (2004 edition), Harold McGee indicates that rhubarb tends to be about 1.5-2.0% acid by weight (mostly oxalic acid), which makes it quite tart.