My 93 year old neighbour Patrick and I have a great system going! He invites me to pick things from his vegetable and fruit garden and I take dishes that I make using his lovely, fresh, organic produce! Occasionally, Tula his faithful companion gets a small look in too, in the shape of a lamb bone or other left overs.
So, Patrick asked me to help myself to the last remaining bits of rhubarb. Oh how I love this strange thing which after 40+ years in the UK, I still have not got my head round! How can something that looks like a vegetable and is impossible to eat raw, turn to something ‘theiko’ (of the gods) as we would say in Greek?!
Since I discovered this easy way of cooking rhubarb, I have not looked back. Roasting things always intensifies their flavour because much of what is moisture in their structure escapes, and this is a favourite way for me to cook.
You can change the flavourings or roasting partners (citrus, apples, star anise, ginger, all are great with it!) put it in the oven and forget all about it for half an hour. The result is a great accompaniment to pies, crumbles, ice cream or just some whipped double cream.
Baked rhubarb compote
- 400g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 5cm batons
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick roughly cut into 2-3 pieces
Method
Put the rhubarb, sugar and broken cinnamon stick in an oven proof dish, mix well and leave to macerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160 0 C. Cover the dish and cook the rhubarb for 30-35 minutes until soft but still holding its shape. Enjoy!
You can find this and more of Irini’s recipes, including how to make a wonderful Greek galatopita ‘custard pie’ version at Irini Cooks.
We would love to hear from you how you enjoy using rhubarb and see any photos of dishes you make! Post, share with your friends and tag us on Instagram.
For more recipes like this visit our Food and Drink channel.
About the Author / Irini Tzortzoglou
