Monday, June 25, 2007

Recipe: Grandma's Stewed Rhubarb

My grandma - Upstate New York, 1920's
********************************
So, I've prattled on about all of my grand ideas for our rhubarb crop. I even tried a new cobbler recipe from a fancy cookbook.

But at the end of the day, I wanted what was familiar. In the best kind of way.

My grandma used to make stewed rhubarb in June. I loved it. I loved scrubbing the rhubarb, helping her spoon the sugar into the saucepan. I just loved being in the kitchen with her. So dribbling chocolate ice-cream over the finished concoction was the icing on the cake - so-to-speak.

Be forewarned, I adored my grandparents so much that they could have tricked me into eating pretty much anything. Spending time with them was half of the treat. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g tasted good. I happily ate my toast crusts, peas and other items that became finicky issues back at home.

This humble recipe never disappoints me. Generous portions of sweet ice cream play off the tartness of the rhubarb in a unique way.

1 pound of rhubarb
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Generous dash of lemon juice (or a tsp. of lemon zest)

Mix all together in a saucepan (see photo above) and cook for between 5 and 8 minutes. Top with your favorite ice cream. Sweet cream may satisfy, as well.

1 comment:

Steph said...

Such a lovely memory.

I used to spend a week with my grandparents and every evening we had these bizarre sandwiches full of whatever was available (I am pretty sure they regularly involved peanut butter, onions and raisins, among other things) and to this day, I love the thought of them.