RHUBARB

THIS MONTH I’M LOVING…

Rhubarb is one of those heroes that, in the depths of a sparse season for home-grown produce, brings a welcome excitement to British allotments and grocers. The forced variety is ready from January and the vibrant pink and green field-grown stalks from late March. The ‘rhubarb triangle’, a nine-squaremile area in Yorkshire, is famous for its early forced rhubarb. It’s grown in sheds, which inhibits chlorophyll production, resulting in beautiful bright pink ombre stalks. My mother, along with many other gardeners, achieves this effect by growing rhubarb underneath upturned plastic plant pots.

Rhubarb has a polarising tartness, but its flavours are more complex than it’s given credit for. Once cooked in quantities of sugar, it is gloriously fragrant, with notes of sweet strawberries and tart apple. Its extreme acidity lends itself to pairings with rich or fatty ingredients, both sweet and savoury. Rhubarb and custard is a classic example, whether that be gently poached stems in a blanket of vanilla custard, a buttery crumble topped with a rich, egg-heavy ice cream, or a crème brûlée with rhubarb compote hiding in the base.

While gooseberries are the classic pairing for oily fish such as mackerel, the similar tartness of rhubarb makes it an equally successful partner. It works well, either gently stewed or pickled in a sweet liquor. Fatty meats like pork belly will also benefit from a sharp injection of a rhubarb pickle.

Cooking rhubarb can be frustrating. It turns from crunchy to mush in seconds and I certainly enjoy it a lot more with a bit of bite. Catching that very small window of perfection requires slow, careful cooking: gently simmer in water sweetened with sugar or honey to your taste for 5min until it just starts to soften. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool. The rhubarb will continue to cook slowly and will absorb the sweetness and any aromatic flavours from the poaching liquid. If you think it’s getting too soft too quickly, transfer to a bowl or tub and place in the fridge to slow it down.

I like to add other ingredients to the poaching liquid. Flavours such as bay, rose, ginger and rosemary work particularly well. Once you’ve got your perfect result, you can use it to top porridge or yogurt for breakfast, fold into sweetened whipped cream to make a fool, or use as the fruit and jelly element in a trifle. For Giovanna’s supper clubs and butchery company, see cookandfeast.co.uk