Rhubarb Recipes from Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture, Prairieland CSA, PCSA, Urbana, Illinois

Remove leaves and roots. Do not wash before refrigerating. Store in wrapped in plastic wrap for up to one week for best flavor, though it will keep longer.

Preparation:
Trim ends and chop. You may want to peel large stalks, though this is not necessary. This also removes rhubarb's color.

To freeze rhubarb, wash and cut into 1" pieces. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add rhubarb to water for 1 minute. Pour into colander to drain. Then soak in ice water in sink until cool. Place in freezer bags, being sure to remove excess air. Freeze for up to one year. Alternatively, rhubarb may be canned.

Recipes:
Rhubarb can be used in place of apples in crisps and cakes, and is often baked into pies. It is seasoned similarly to apples, with cinnamon and nutmeg. However, cardamom and ginger also go well with rhubarb. Rhubarb also can be made into chutneys and other sauces to accompany poultry.

Gerry Walter's Rhubarb Pie Cake
This recipe actually began as apple pie-cake, but Gerry says rhubarb, peaches, even blueberries work, too, with appropriate minor adjustments of sugar and spices.

5 cups rhubarb
1-1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Place rhubarb in bottom of greased pan. ("I'm learning this year that a 12" round stone baking dish about 2" deep does a really good job, but smaller, deeper pans or dishes work fine as long as they're not aluminum and can hold all this stuff. I used to use a 9 x 9 pan to good effect."-Gerry) Mix sugar and spices and pour over rhubarb.

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup evaporated milk
3 Tbsp water
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix rest of ingredients and pour over rhubarb. Bake 1 hour (or so) at 325 degrees F.

Rhubarb Fool
1 lb. rhubarb trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 tsp ground mace
3 Tbsp orange liqueur or additional orange juice
2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt

In a non-aluminum saucepan, bring the rhubarb, sugar, orange juice, and mace to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Partially cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb is very soft and mushy, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the liqueur. Let the puree cool completely.

In four stemmed goblets or dessert dishes, or a large salad bowl if you don't want individual servings, alternate two or three layers of the yogurt and rhubarb mixture. Gently cut through the layers with a knife, swirling it to create a marble-like pattern. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 1 hour before serving.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
piecrust for 2 crust pie (1/2 butter and 1/2 vegetable shortening is good)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. quick cooking tapioca (not the pre-made pudding)
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon or more to taste
1/4 t. ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best) or more to taste
3 1/2 cup rhubarb cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup sliced strawberries

Mix above together to coat fruit and let stand 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Place bottom crust in 9" pie plate. Prick with fork. Fill crust with fruit mixture. Sprinkle with 1 T. butter cut up. Cover with top crust. Crimp edges. Cut slit in center. Bake 45 to 60 minutes. Alternatively, make individual tarts using a bottom crust and no top crust.

Rhubarb Custard Pie
piecrust for 9" pie (top and bottom)
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. milk
2 c. granulated sugar
4 Tbsp. flour
3/4 t. ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
4 c. rhubarb
1 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Place bottom crust in 9" pie plate. Prick with fork. Chill. Beat eggs, add milk. Mix together sugar, flour, and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir into eggs. Add rhubarb, stir. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle with 1 T. butter cut up into small pieces. Cover with top crust. Can use a lattice crust, if desired. Crimp edges. Cut slit in center if not using lattice. Bake 50 to 60 minutes.

Rhubarb Crisp / Crunch
1 c. flour
1/2 c. melted butter
1 1/4 c. uncooked oats
3/4 c. plus 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon
dash to 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
5 c. of rhubarb or other tart fruit (apples, gooseberries, or combination)
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Mix first six ingredients together in a bowl. Press half of mixture into a greased 8" x 8" baking dish. Cover with fruit. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and heat until thickened. Pour over fruit. Bake for one hour.

Rhubarb Relish for Poultry
2 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 t. grated orange zest
2/3 c. orange juice
1/4 t. freshly grated ginger root
1/2 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 shallots, minced

Combine in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with grilled poultry.