It’s here folks—rhubarb season. I’ve got it growing in my garden, it’s stacked up like cord-wood at the farmer’s market, and your neighbors probably have a bunch to share too. But what are you going to do with it all? Plenty. Rhubarb is great in and out of pie, and what are my favorite recipes? These!
Rhubarb pie, straight up!I don’t like too many things in my rhubarb pie. Just rhubarb please, like in this beautiful version.
Rhubarb CakeIf you’re heading to a pot-luck and want to stand out, why not make a fancy rhubarb cake in a springform pan? This one is extra rich and creamy.
Rhubarb Lentil SoupRhubarb is actually not a fruit, it’s a petiole. A stem basically, like celery. You can use it like a vegetable too, if you want. In this soup the sour of rhubarb plus the earth of lentils turns into a brilliant sour and deep sort of soup—finish it with a few snips of chives from the garden and you’ll be eating the essence of spring.
Michael Solomonov’s Braised Lamb Shanks with Peas, Mint, and GarlicWe’ve had Michael Solomonov of Philadelphia’s Zahav on the show before. He’s the owner of the acclaimed Zahav. In Zahav they use rhubarb in all kinds of interesting ways, including to braise lamb shanks with peas, mint, and rhubarb. This is a great dinner party dish, serve it with a plummy syrah and a lettuce salad from the garden.
Rhubarb SyrupThis is how you do it: turn everything rhubarb. Beer, snow cones, baked brie. All you’re going to do is make a rhubarb simple syrup, and then find a thousand uses for it. To make rhubarb simple syrup just combine 4 cups of chopped rhubarb with a cup of sugar and a cup of water, and cook for 20 minutes until soft, then strain out the solids. To make a rhubarb shandy, just add a shot to a wheat beer. To make rhubarb waffles, pour it on waffles. To make rhubarb salad dressing add a little to oil and vinegar. You can do so much! Though of course, I’m partial to the Rhubarb Tom Collins. And the Rhubarb Mojito. Those are very good things.