Otter Orchard

Rhubarb. Say it with me now…..rhu barb. Ah…conjures up images of grandmothers and pies left on tables we never touch, right? That was my initial response to one of our offerings this week. But then, in true farm box pioneer style, I sucked it up and started researching how I’m going to enjoy this strange fruit. And about that…..

Although rhubarb is botanically classified as a vegetable (a stem or leaf), it is most often prepared as a fruit. In 1947, the U.S. Customs court proclaimed it a fruit, since that is the way it is eaten. Well, whether you want to call it a fruit or a vegetable, never eat rhubarb leaves, cooked or raw, because they contain a high concentration of oxalic acid, which, if eaten in large quantities, can be lethal.

So I’ve gone classically overboard on recipes this week in the hopes that one of them will get you excited to truly try this new product in your Otter Orchard farm box. I’ve also included a link to a twist on broccoli, and a new way to prepare sweet potatoes. For even more rhubarb recipes, as well as to access earlier recipes, click on the Recipes link on the sidebar.

And by the way, don’t forget that the happiest you can make a blogger is by leaving a comment, signing up to follow the blog, or signing up for an e-mail subscription. It lets us know you’re out there, you’re reading, and you care!

Rustic Rhubarb Scone Cake

From the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook

Quicker to make and easier to handle than pastry dough, this rustic Irish cake soaks up the delicious rhubarb juices.

For the Dough

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ cup sugar

pinch of salt

½ cup (1/4 pound) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

¾ cup buttermilk

For the Filling

1 pound rhubarb (about 5 stalks), chopped

Grated zest of 1 orange

½ cup sugar

1 egg white, lightly whisked with a little water

Sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 10-inch deep-dish pie dish and set aside.

To make the scone dough, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl.  Add the butter and, using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture has the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Gradually add the buttermilk, folding the wet and dry ingredients together until a soft, shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead lightly just until the dough comes together.  Don’t work the dough too much, or it will be tough. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.

To make the filling, combine the rhubarb, orange zest, and sugar in a bowl and stir to mix well.

Roll out half of the dough into a 12-inch round on the floured work surface and transfer it to the prepared pie dish.  If it falls apart, don’t worry. Just gently pat it back into place.  Fill the dough-lined dish with the rhubarb mixture. Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round to form a pastry lid. Brush the rim of the bottom crust with water and put on the lid. Press the top crust to the bottom crust to seal.

Brush the whisked egg white evenly over the top crust and then sprinkle lightly and evenly with sugar. Make 3 or 4 steam slits in the lid. Bake until the crust is golden brown and looks dry and the fruit is soft when tested with a knife tip through a slit, about 1 hour.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Scalloped Rhubarb

Serves: 4

4 oz cubed stale bread


4 oz melted margarine


11 oz diced rhubarb


8 oz sugar (less can be used if desired)

Pre-heat oven to gas mark 4 [this is my favorite instruction-obviously this recipe is not American – it’s British. So if I had to guess, I’d say go with a 350 degree oven].

Simply combine the bread, margarine, rhubarb and sugar. Pour into a shallow baking dish and cook for approximately 45 minutes.  The bread turns crunchy and the rhubarb is wonderfully stewed in the sugar.

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And in case you want some new ideas for your broccoli, there’s a great recipe at the Guilty Kitchen blog that happens to pair it with sweet potato fries (which we all know is a perennial favorite here at OO-just scroll far enough down in our Recipes link to find them again):

And also a new sweet potato recipe:

Curried Sweet Potato Fritters

These Indian-inspired fritters also make great hors d’oeuvres—simply use scant 1-tablespoon dollops of the fritter mixture when cooking, and skip the bed of spinach.

Serves 6

Fritters

3 large eggs

1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal

2 Tbs. curry powder

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated (4 cups)

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed

2 Tbs. poppy seeds, optional

1/4 cup mango chutney

Wilted Spinach

12 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup lemon juice

To make Fritters:

1. Whisk together eggs, cornmeal, curry powder, and ginger in large bowl. Stir in sweet potato, onion, peas, and poppy seeds, if using. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

2. Heat large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Scoop sweet potato mixture onto hot skillet in 1/4-cup dollops, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip, and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, or until golden brown on second side. Transfer to plate, and keep warm. Repeat with remaining sweet potato mixture until you have 12 Fritters.

3. Meanwhile, prepare Wilted Spinach: Heat large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add spinach in batches, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until leaves are wilted, but still bright green. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

4. To serve: Divide spinach among 6 serving plates, and drizzle with lemon juice. Top each serving with 2 Fritters, and garnish each with 1 tsp. mango chutney.

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