One of the first offerings of the spring garden, rhubarb gives us its own unique taste and texture. High in vitamins A and C and a variety of minerals, especially calcium, it is also believed to be a digestive aid and a blood purifier. Its tartness increases with age.
To prepare, cut off leaves and discard them. Wash stems and chop into 1-inch chunks, to be used in sauces, spring soups, crisps, tarts, or pies. When combined with strawberries, you’ll find they complement each other beautifully.
To keep rhubarb crisp, store it wrapped in a damp towel or in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one week. If allowed to dry out, stems will soften and shrivel. Rhubarb also freezes well (either cooked or raw). Wash, chop, and drain it. Dry with a towel or paper towels. (Remember frozen rhubarb will be soft when thawed.) Place in airtight containers and freeze.
Rhubarb-basil simple syrup:
Wash and chop rhubarb
Add 1.5 cups of water
Bring to the boil in sauce pan and simmer 30 mins
Strain out rhubarb
Add 1.75 cups of sugar and handful of washed and rough chopped basil
Stir until dissolved, remove basil.
Use syrup with sparkling water to make Italian soda
Add a dash of whole milk or cream to the Italian soda for French soda
Use with club soda and neutral spirit for a refreshing summer cocktail
Top vanilla icecream or frozen yogurt
Great on pancakes
Thanks for the great recipes!