Ravishing rhubarb rules
Lovingly washed, sliced and simmered with sugar to a lusciously tart-sweet concoction, rhubarb is cemented in our memories, most often slurped in a glass dish or poured over ice cream. Through greenhouse production, rhubarb is available most of the year, but is always best straight from the farmers market, where it appears from early spring into June.
The bright stalks vary in hue from scarlet and crimson to speckled pink, but do not discount green-colored stalks, as they are a sweeter variety. Rhubarb leaves are poisonous due to oxalic acid, which is a nephrotoxic, corrosive acid, so stick with the stalks, which have endless possibilities.
The most common, of course, is jamming, or slicing rhubarb into pie crusts alongside its seasonal strawberry soul mate. But rhubarb is also amazing on the savory side of the spectrum. Simmered with tender lavender blossoms and honey and finished with pomegranate juice, rhubarb sauce becomes a delightful foil for a succulent garlic-studded roast leg of spring lamb.
Or try roasting sliced rhubarb stalks with olive oil, garlic and chopped shallots before finishing with a splash of balsamic vinegar and a handful of chopped roasted walnuts. This bright sauce is a great alternative for brown butter, and works on almost anything, especially your favorite squash. End with feathery puffs of shaved pecorino and bask in the applause.
Craving protein? Brown turkey pieces on the bone in an oven-proof pan and add sliced rhubarb, prunes, orange juice and chicken stock, cover tightly and braise, slow and low, for a few hours. Serve over creamy polenta and wait for the compliments to roll in.