Rhubarb - sometimes referred to as "pie-plant" shows it can do much more than pies! Just the right amount of sugar allows for a mouth-full of flavour without the sourness
Though some have been known to eat it raw or simply dipped in sugar, rhubarb is a tart vegetable generally reserved for dessert. Its mouth-puckering effects make it especially conducive to the addition of sugar – copious amounts of sugar – and have given it the nickname “pie-plant”, as presumably there is not much else to do with rhubarb.
Luckily, this crunchy vegetable is more similar nutritionally to other vegetables than to fruits. One cup of raw, diced rhubarb (with no sugar added) contains only 27 calories and is a source of calcium, Vitamin C, and potassium(2).
Fresh rhubarb is available during spring and summer months, depending on location. It grows best in cooler climates such as the Northern United States and Canada. Once planted, rhubarb can continue to produce for 8 to 15 years(1).
If access to fresh rhubarb is limited, it is often available in the frozen section of the supermarket. To freeze ripe home-grown stalks, simply cut off leaves, trim the ends, rinse well, cut into smaller pieces, and freeze.
Always remove the leaves of rhubarb before cooking, as eating them can be poisonous.
Rhubarb stalksare ready to be picked when they are shades of green, red, and pink.
If time allows, try the recipe for Rhubarb Cake, below, but if you're pressed for time, try Rhubarb Compote. Both are vegan when using the given vegan variations.
Quick Dessert: Rhubarb Compote Recipe
Served with fresh strawberries, or as a topping for vanilla ice cream, Rhubarb Compote is a tasty and versatile sauce. The sweetness should be based on the ripeness of the rhubarb as well as your family’s tastes. As cooking releases water from the rhubarb – which helps to dissolve the sugar – it is best to start out with less sugar and add more to taste. For a vegan dessert, use vegan sugar, though the texture might be change slightly.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chopped rhubarb, rinsed well with water
- 1 cup sugar
- Water, to cover
Directions:
- Place washed rhubarb sticks into a medium saucepan and sprinkle sugar over top.
- Add water to about 2 cm (1”) depth.
- Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Note: this step can also be done in a microwave-safe covered glass dish.
- Serve hot or cold over ice cream, or on its own.
Leisurely Dessert: Rhubarb Cake Recipe
This Rhubarb Cake recipe was not vegan to begin with, but making it so does not negatively affect the taste or texture of the cake. Here, eggs and milk are swapped for vegan egg substitute and soy milk.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups vegan brown sugar
- 1 egg or powdered vegan egg substitute
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ cup butter, margarine, or unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup sour milk (in a glass measuring cup, measure 2 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice and add dairy milk or soy milk to make 1 cup. Let sit 5 minutes. Milk will curdle).
- 1-1/2 cups diced rhubarb, rinsed
Topping:
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
- Prepare sour milk.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and spray an 8 x 12 baking dish with cooking spray or oil.
- Cream together egg/egg substitute, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Beat in butter, margarine or applesauce.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture and the sour milk alternately to the creamed mixture, stirring well to combine.
- Gently fold in rhubarb.
- Pour mixture into greased baking dish.
- Mix the ½ cup brown sugar with 1 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over top.
- Bake at 350ºC for 40 minutes, or until light golden brown.
- Serve alone with vanilla ice cream.
References:
1. The Rhubarb Compendium. (Also of Interest: Rhubarb Limericks.)
2. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Government on Ontario. Canada. Ontario Produce: Rhubarb [Internet]. 2007 [cited July 4, 2007].
