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The first mention of this plant in handwritten sources occurs several centuries before our era. Tibetan monks used it for their medicines. By the way, this practice continues today. In Europe and America, this is one of the most popular vegetables, which can be found in dozens of different dishes and especially desserts. We only put it in salads. We suggest correcting this omission right now. Let’s take a closer look at rhubarb and see what delicious you can cook from it.
Sweetness under meringue clouds
Rhubarb belongs to the buckwheat family and is a vegetable by all formal signs. But in cooking, it acts as a fruit, since jam, juices and compotes are made from it, as well as sweet filling for pies. No wonder the Americans call rhubarb pie plant, that is, a plant for a pie. And if so, why not bake a pie with rhubarb and meringue?
Ingredients:
- rhubarb-450 g
- butter — 150 g
- sugar-90 g for the dough + 4 tbsp. l. for the filling + 100 g for meringue
- egg — 3 pcs.
- flour — 300-350 g
- baking powder — 1 tsp.
- salt – ¼ tsp.
First, small preparations with rhubarb. We wash and dry the stems, chop them into fragments, put them in a colander and pour sugar over them. We place it over an empty bowl and leave it for a couple of hours.
Rub 3 yolks with salt and sugar, add softened butter, mix until smooth. Gradually sift the flour with baking powder here and knead the dough. We form a lump, wrap it with cling film and put it in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Now we tamp the dough into a mold with sides, spread the pieces of rhubarb and put it in the oven at 180 °C for 20 minutes. At this time, beat the remaining proteins with sugar into strong peaks. We evenly distribute them over the rhubarb and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. Wait until the cake is completely cooled, and you can cut it into portions.
Zebra in ruby tones
Rhubarb has a lot of useful properties. In particular, it has a beneficial effect on digestion. Its stems contain a large amount of organic acids that stimulate the production of gastric juice, thereby helping to digest heavy food. If you are losing weight hard for your vacation, treat yourself to a simple but incredibly delicious dessert-yogurt with a delicate puree of rhubarb.
Ingredients:
- rhubarb — 500 g
- sugar-80 g
- natural yogurt without additives-200 g
- ground ginger-0.5 tsp.
We clean, wash and dry the rhubarb stalks. We cut them into cubes, put them in a baking dish, pour sugar over them and put them in the oven at 160 °C for 30-40 minutes. Keep the door ajar. Let the rhubarb cool, transfer it to the bowl of a blender, carefully whisk until a smooth consistency. If the mass is too thick, pour in a little of the juice released during baking of rhubarb. Now you need to let it stand in the refrigerator for half an hour, after which we put yogurt and rhubarb puree in layers in a crematorium or a transparent glass. Serve the dessert immediately.
A surprise in a crunchy crumb
It is noteworthy that rhubarb as a plant is not completely edible. The tough green fragments of the leaves contain poisonous oxalic acid. The root is also not suitable for food — tinctures and cough syrups are mainly made from it. But juicy crunchy rhubarb stalks can be found a lot of delicious ways to use. For example, to prepare an unusual crumble in a hurry.
Ingredients:
- strawberries-200 g
- rhubarb — 150 g
- butter — 80 g
- sugar-80 g
- flour — 2 tbsp. l.
- oat flakes — 3 tbsp. l.
- almonds-a handful
- mint — 5-6 leaves
- cinnamon – ¼ tsp.
Strawberries are cleaned from the stalks, washed, dried well, placed in a baking dish. We cut the rhubarb into slices and mix it with the berries. Pour all 2-3 tablespoons of sugar, put mint leaves and leave for a while to make the juice stand out.
We grind the frozen butter on a grater, rub it into a crumb with flour, oat flakes and the remaining sugar. We dry the almonds, finely chop them with a knife and, together with the cinnamon, mix them into the sugar crumbs. We evenly cover the strawberries with rhubarb with it and put the mold in the oven at 180 °C for 25-30 minutes. Strawberry crumble with rhubarb will perfectly complement a ball of vanilla ice cream.
Toasts for real sweetmeats
Rhubarb stems contain many valuable elements, but most of all — vitamin A, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants. It supports the health of the eyes, the tone of the skin and mucous membranes, and also strengthens the bone tissue. In addition, rhubarb contains almost all the B vitamins responsible for the nervous system, as well as vitamin K, which improves brain function. It is most effective to recharge with useful substances at breakfast, namely, having refreshed yourself with original toast with rhubarb.
Ingredients:
- loaf — 3-4 slices
- egg — 2 pcs.
- sugar — 1 tbsp. l.
- rhubarb — 300 g
- maple syrup — 3 tbsp. l.
- dry white wine — 2 tbsp. l.
- ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg-a pinch at a time
- vanilla extract – ¼ tsp.
- cream cheese — for greasing
Cut the rhubarb stalks along with long strips, put them in a baking dish in one layer. Mix the syrup with the wine and all the spices. Pour the resulting mixture over the rhubarb and send it to the oven at 200 °C for about 15-20 minutes. The stems should soften properly, but not fall apart.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs with sugar, soak the bread toast well in the mixture and brown until golden brown on both sides. We grease them with cream cheese and spread the pieces of baked rhubarb. That’s all-unusual sweet toasts are ready!
Jam the color of the sun
In addition to vitamins, rhubarb is rich in micro-and macroelements. It has especially large reserves of potassium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. They strengthen the heart and the walls of blood vessels, stimulate the production of blood cells, prevent the appearance of cholesterol plaques. To make not only the heart but also the soul rejoice, we offer to prepare an exquisite rhubarb jam.
Ingredients:
- rhubarb — 1 kg
- sugar — 1 kg
- orange — 3 pcs.
We wash and dry the stems, chop them into slices 1 cm thick, put them in a large saucepan with a thick bottom. We pour everything with sugar and leave it for at least 3 hours so that the rhubarb will let the juice.
Remove the zest from the oranges with a thin layer. It is important not to touch the white part of the peel, otherwise the jam will be bitter. We cut the zest into strips and mix it with rhubarb. Bring the resulting mass to a boil and cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes. Do not forget to constantly remove the foam. We leave the jam for the night, the next day we cook it again, also for 10 minutes. Now you can pour the jam into jars and roll it up for the winter.
Muffins for unloading
Nutritionists claim that rhubarb helps to fight edema due to its diuretic effect. Therefore, it is possible to prepare combined smoothies from green vegetables from it and arrange fasting days on them. You can also add rhubarb to dietary pastries. Try the muffins according to our recipe. The highlight of the dessert is a subtle spicy sourness, which is given by the combination of rhubarb and apples.
Ingredients:
- rhubarb — 150 g
- green apples-200 g
- kefir — 200 ml
- vegetable oil-80 ml + for lubrication
- sugar-150 g
- egg — 1 pc.
- flour — 200 g
- salt – ¼ tsp.
- baking powder — 1 tsp.
Beat the eggs with sugar into a light homogeneous mass. In turn, pour in kefir and vegetable oil. Gradually add flour with salt and baking powder, knead a thin dough with a mixer.
Cut the rhubarb stalks as small as possible. Peel the apples and grate them on a grater. We mix all this into the dough and fill the oiled molds with it no more than two-thirds. Bake muffins at 180 °C for 20-25 minutes. This delicacy can be taken with you to work for a healthy snack.
Strawberry Fantasy
Rhubarb is perfect for making refreshing summer drinks. They quickly quench thirst, tone the body and charge with useful substances. A pleasant sour taste of rhubarb with soft tart notes sets off the rich sweet taste of fruits and berries. You can experiment with combinations indefinitely. We suggest stopping at a compote of rhubarb and strawberries.
Ingredients:
- rhubarb — 200 g
- strawberries-100 g
- lemon — 3-4 slices
- sugar — 100 g
- water — 2 liters
We wash the stems of rhubarb, remove the skin with a knife, cut the juicy part into slices 1.5 cm thick. We also wash the strawberries, carefully remove the stalks, cut each berry in half.
Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan, lay the rhubarb, strawberries and lemon slices. Pour out the sugar and cook this assorted over low heat for no longer than 5 minutes. We insist the ready-made compote under the lid for half an hour and only then filter it. To cool it faster, pour it into a carafe with ice cubes. And it is best to serve this compote with strawberries and mint.
That’s how many delicious and unusual things you can cook from rhubarb stalks. And this is not a complete menu. Look for even more recipes with this ingredient on the pages of the website “Eating at Home”. Do you often use rhubarb for culinary purposes? Perhaps there are special dishes or drinks with his participation in your arsenal? Share interesting ideas in the comments.