Rhubarb

Rhubarb crumble last night, first rhubarb of this year.

The plant is very productive, I could have pulled stalks any time in the mast month.

Such an easy plant, had it years, do nothing to it and year after year up comes these gorgeous stalks.

Nice. Always a fun first fruit (I guess technically vegetable, but still...) of spring. (Although we've actually had strawberries show up in our farmers market before rhubarb this year)

Saw a few bulges pushing up so went to Chris Meyer's The Nordic Kitchen to review some wonderful ideas: Rhubarb chutney with red onion, chile, curry powder, coriander, jaggery, apple cider vinegar and golden raisins; baked rhubarb with horseradish, jaggery and elderflower vinegar served with roasted duck breast; rhubarb syrup, cordial, compote and cake.
I never knew that that lower whitish segment at the foot is the most flavorful. Will stop discarding those. He cites vanilla, mint, rosemary, cinnamon, thyme, lemon and orange rind as rhubarb friendly flavorings. Many obvious and familiar but rosemary and thyme suggest some lovely savory uses.
Now I can't wait for enough to harvest. Just now hitting spring temps here in the Upper Midwest.
BTW, I love this cookbook.

[Jenise]

What's jaggery?

[Robin Garr]

What's jaggery?

Chunks of palm sugar ... from India, I think, but you run into it a lot in Caribbean places where people from India have settled in the wake of the British Empire.

About jaggery http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/0 ... 64038.html
Didn't know anything about this till I made the elderflower cordial panna cotta from The Nordic Kitchen Cookbook. Got it at an Indian grocery store and was worth the effort. The store had many brands and an Indian friend recommended the Kolhapuri. Definitely less sweet than refined sugar and with very interesting layers of complex flavors. Have used it since in savory and sweet dishes.
One of the pleasures of a new cookbook for a different ethnic cuisine is having to stock the pantry with unfamiliar ingredients to play with.