Oaty Rhubarb Bars

Spring is coming, green leaves are shooting up in the area of our rhubarb patch, and we still had a bag of frozen rhubarb from last summer shoved in the bottom of the freezer. Fearing a watery mess if I attempted pie, I tried to gather together as many absorptive ingredients as I could to make the best of it, and these turned out pretty well! I think you could use any frozen fruit in the same quantity, though I haven't tested that theory...

Oaty Rhubarb Bars

Makes about 15 servings

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry  flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened sliced rhubarb (thawed overnight and drained)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8x8x2-inch baking pan with butter or spray.

In large bowl stir together oats, the 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1 cup oats mixture. Press remaining on bottom of prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl stir together granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, and ground ginger & cardamom. Add rhubarb; toss to coat. Spread on hot crust. Sprinkle reserved oats mixture and pecans; press lightly.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until top is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool on rack. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 5 days. Makes 15 squares.

What's easier than pie? CRUMBLE.

Rhubarb pie is very nice, but a crumble is even easier, and this one also involves pretty simple clean-up (mix the filling right in the baking dish, dirty one other bowl for the crumble). I love the flavor of coconut oil in this topping, but you traditionalists out there could easily replace it with butter.

Rhubarb Crumble

Serves 8-10

Filling:
3 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Topping:
6 tablespoons coconut oil
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup pecans

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking or gratin dish. Toss rhubarb with white sugar, almond extract, lemon zest, and cardamom and spread evenly in baking dish.

Combine all remaining ingredients (coconut oil through pecans) in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Crumble the topping over rhubarb and bake until golden and beginning to brown, 45 to 50 minutes.

Two from the garden

Thanks to unseasonably rainy and cool weather here in the Rockies this summer, we still have an abundance of rhubarb and some very happy peas.  (More on those peas next week...). How to celebrate? Pasta and pie, of course!

Pasta Carbonara with Fresh Peas

Serves 4

8 ounces bucatini or linguine

2 cups fresh peas, shelled

1 clove garlic, minced

4 strips thick-cut bacon

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste

Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. About 3 minutes before it is done, stir in peas.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Set aside, reserving grease. In a large bowl add eggs, garlic, 1/2 cup Parmesan, chopped herbs, salt and pepper, and whisk until combined.

Stir the bacon and add to the egg mixture. When the pasta and peas are done, drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the water. Immediately stir the pasta, peas and the 3/4 cup water into the egg mixture, stirring quickly so the eggs don’t scramble. Let stand 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to thicken the sauce. Serve each portion topped with 1 tablespoon of the remaining cheese.

Rhubarb Slab Pie

Serves 8-10

1 sheet pastry puff, thawed

1 lb. rhubarb, chopped

⅔ cup sugar

¼  teaspoon ground cloves

½  teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon demerara/turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Chop the rhubarb into ¼" pieces and toss it with sugar and spices in a large mixing bowl. Allow to sit about 10 minutes, then stir in the flour to absorb the juices.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out your pastry as much as you can without allowing it to break. Carefully transfer to the baking sheet.

Lay the filling in a mound in the middle of one half of the dough; you’re going to close it over like a book, so plan ahead for that. Fold over the top pastry sheet and crimp the edges.Cut slits on the top for the pie to vent and sprinkle with a tablespoon of demerara/turbinado sugar if desired.

Put in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling through the slits.



Variations of these photos are also on instagram. Follow DrinkFoodTravel here. The filters make everything way cooler.

It's time for rhubarb pie!

...and whatever else you can fit in there!  I chose blueberries this time, but you could swap in an equal amount of strawberries, raspberries, or apricots (trust me, I've vetted them all) in this recipe.  And the pie crust is a noble thing to make yourself, but there's no shame in purchasing a roll-out refrigerated crust from the grocery store. It's summer, after all, and you need to save your energy for making mojitos.

Rhubarb-something or other Pie

Two pie crusts
1 1/4 cups sugar 

1/3 cup flour 

1 cup fresh blueberries (or strawberries, etc.)

2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1" pieces 

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon butter 

Roll out a pie crust and line a greased pie plate with it.  Poke it with some holes, line the bottom with dried beans, and bake at 450F for 10-12 minutes, or until it starts to firm up. 

Meanwhile, combine the rhubarb and sugar in a bowl and allow to sit until it gives off its juices.  Then stir in the spices, flour, and blueberries or other fruit you're using.  When the crust is ready, pull it out of the oven and pour this mixture into it, smoothing it out so it's even.  Dot with little squares of butter and lay the other crust on top, cutting some vent holes in as creative of a way as you dare. You can also dust the top crust with a little turbinado sugar if you want. Pinch the top and bottom crusts together and put it back in the oven, this time baking at 375F for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is as golden as you like. Cool thoroughly before cutting.

If the outer edge of your crust gets too brown, I like to use these little guys, which accommodate any diameter of pie and can be used over and over again.  

American food and stuff

I am currently in Italy, doing not much of anything to celebrate this patriotic holiday (though it is also my birthday, which I will celebrate with local red wine and seafood).  I'll tell you all about it when I get back, but if you're at a loss for what to eat or drink at your hot, sweaty family picnic, might I suggest...

All-American Whiskey Cocktails

Independence Day Menu:

Country-style BBQ ribs
Macaroni Salad
Citrus-jalapeno Coleslaw
Rhubarb Pie

Happy feasting!

A Midsummer Feast

Happy Summer Solstice, everyone!  Although I am already complaining about the heat (really?  100 degrees this weekend for the Fort Collins Brew Fest?!?!), I really do love the excuse to sit on the patio and eat and drink right from the garden.  The Scandinavians have it right: their Midsummer Festival is almost as important as Christmas, and it involves plenty of consumption.  Here's my dream menu for this holiday, which I think we should all celebrate tonight:

~Midsummer Menu~

Watermelon Mojitos

Moroccan Spiced Grapes

Scandinavian Melon Salad

Savory Greens Pie

Garbanzo and Raisin Salad

Salmon Cakes

Scandinavian Rhubarb Crumble

Monster Brunch

This is not a role model for brunch.

I recently had a lovely day off with friends, and we decided to live it up and pig out in the middle of the day.  After all, what is more decadent than heavy brunch food and booze at noon?  New Orleanians know what I'm talking about (though I can live just fine without the "Drive-Thru Daiquiri" shops).




I decided to serve the following menu:

Mimosas with orange, grapefruit, or cranberry juice
Steamed asparagus with creamy mushroom sauce (recipe below)
Red eye beans and rice
Shakshuka (I'm convinced that if there'd been a Jewish community in early New Orleans history, this would be de rigueur on their brunch menus) (recipe below)
[Eric made a decadent scalloped potato casserole, but you'll have to ask him for that recipe...]

Rhubarb syrup-and-gin cocktails 
Chocolate-oat-rhubarb muffins
Rhubarb cobbler




For the steamed asparagus, I just seasoned it lightly with salt and poured this over it:

Easiest Mushroom Sauce


2 teaspoons olive oil
8 oz. mixed mushrooms, cleaned and diced
2 medium shallots
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
½  teaspoon herbs de provence or dried thyme
¼ c. chardonnay
1-2 teaspoons flour, depending on how thick you want it
4 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil and sauté the shallots until fragrant and soft, about 4 minutes.  Add mushrooms and salt and continue cooking until fragrant and the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the dried herbs and chardonnay, then sprinkle with flour and combine thoroughly.   Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, season to taste with more salt and freshly ground pepper.  If the sauce gets too thick, just water it down with some milk.

This works well as a crepe filling (use 2 teaspoons flour for a thicker sauce, and stir in shredded cooked chicken if you prefer), on multigrain toast, over steamed asparagus or green beans, over pasta, or as a pizza sauce with spinach and thinly sliced potatoes, etc. etc.

I also used this opportunity to finally make Shakshuka, recipes for which I have been seeing in cooking magazines and Yotam Ottolenghi's beautiful cookbook for months now.  People of Israel, I know now that you are the chosen ones, because you came up with this perfectly simple and delicious way to enjoy eggs.  Bravo.

All the recipes I read were kind of one-note in the sauce department, so I decided to vary the vegetables a bit.  Here's my version:

Fully Loaded Shakshuka

Serves 4 with some leftover sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 eggs
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used dill, cilantro, parsley, and chives)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  When it shimmers, add the onion, zucchini, and carrot and cook until the onion is translucent and the carrot begins to soften, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin, stir, and lower to low heat.  Cover and allow to cook about 15 minutes, or until tomatoes start to break down a bit.

Make four hollows in the sauce, and one at a time, crack an egg into a small bowl, then pour into the indentation in the sauce.  Sprinkle a little salt over the eggs, cover, and continue to cook 8 minutes or until eggs are done to your liking. Remove from heat, sprinkle the entire dish with the fresh herbs, and serve.

Thanks, Tiffini, for the pic!

Chocolate-Rhubarb Muffins (or fun with rhubarb, part 3)

Are you getting sick of my muffins yet?  They're so great, though, because you can put some reasonably healthy ingredients in them, eat them on the run, have them for breakfast or dessert, and they freeze and thaw so easily.  Have I won you over yet?  If not, fine.  More muffins for me.

Chocolate-Rhubarb Muffins

Makes about 20

2 cups chopped rhubarb
½ cup white sugar
¾ c. plain yogurt
½ c. milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup white flout
1 cup wheat flour
½ cup rolled oats (not instant)
¼ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven at 325°F.  Line a muffin tin with paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, combine rhubarb and white sugar; stir and allow to sit 10 minutes.  Add the yogurt, milk, eggs, vanilla, and brown sugar and mix, making sure eggs yolks are broken and evenly distributed.  Stir in all remaining ingredients and pour equal amounts into each baking cup in the muffin tin(s)  ( had to spill over into a second tin.  Bake at 325°F 20 minutes of until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

These are great with peanut butter, or for a more savory option, cream cheese or goat cheese.  

Fun with Rhubarb, Part 2

I was touched by your enthusiasm for my first Fun with Rhubarb post (I'm wondering what fanciful compositions it may have inspired), and so I reward you with booze!  Well, actually, it's a beautiful, perfect simple syrup you can use in booze, or you can pour it on ice cream, yogurt, or mix with soda water for the kiddies and recovering alcoholics at your parties.  I, however, love this with gin and a little DRY cucumber soda over ice.

Rhubarb-Lime Syrup

4 large (1 pound) rhubarb stalks, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar2 cups water4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste

Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan. Stir well, and leave for 45 minutes or so (unheated), stirring now and then.

Add the water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes, until the rhubarb starts to break down. Carefully strain into a bowl through a fine strainer. Transfer back to the saucepan, stir in the lime juice, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer over medium heat for another 15 minutes or until the syrup has reduced quite a bit and thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

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.