Fun with Rhubarb, part 1

Thanks to an unseasonably warm spring in the Rockies, my yard is already overrun with rhubarb.  I make the same pie over and over every year (recipe below), but I just hate making crust.  And while rhubarb pie is about the easiest pie you can make (and that's pretty damn easy), I am not ashamed to admit that I am lazy enough to go looking for an even easier alternative.  Great news!  It's a cobbler.  You will always have the ingredients on hand, and you can't screw this up.  Enjoy.

Scandinavian Rhubarb Crumble

Serves 8 or so

4-5 large stalks of rhubarb (about 1 pound), cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

In a greased baking dish, combine the chopped rhubarb and sugar.  Allow to sit 10 minutes.  Stir in the flour, cardamom, and cloves.

Then, in a medium mixing bowl, combine:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup granola (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup milk (any kind)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Stir thoroughly and pour over rhubarb, spreading evenly to cover with the batter.

Cover the dish with foil and bake in an oven at 350F for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes, or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

You say you want a traditional pie?  Fine. Here it is, care of Grandma Riner:

Catherine's Classic Rhubarb Pie

Serves 8

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
pinch salt
4-5 large rhubarb stalks, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 pie crusts (pre-made is fine)

In a large mixing bowl, combine rhubarb and sugar.  Allow to sit 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven for 425F. Grease a pie pan and fill with one pie crust and prick all around with a fork.  Bake in the oven 10 minutes or until it starts to dry out a little.

Add the flour and salt to the rhubarb and combine thoroughly.  Pour rhubarb mixture into the pre-baked pie crust, scatter the butter pieces on top, and place the other pie crust on top of the whole thing.  Crimp the edges shut, cut a little vent hole into the middle of the top crust, and bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden.  Allow to col thoroughly before serving.