Put Up or Shut Up Episode 2: Rhubarb

Maybe you're thinking about getting gardening, but you're not sure you can do it.  Maybe you're not sure that your soil is good, or you don't really have time to turn over a plot, or you've got a fairly shady yard.  Maybe you have a tendency to kill your house plants, and you're just not ready to take that outdoors where the neighbors can see and judge. 

Valid.

Might I recommend starting out with: Mint (in any of it's forms), sorrel, zucchini, and rhubarb.

Okay, maybe not the zucchini.  It takes a lot of room.  If you're not prepared for that, just stick with the mint, sorrel, and rhubarb.

Sorrel, if you've never had it, is a kind of salad green.  It comes back every year, and produces a big, kind of peppery, kind of lemony leaf.  It's probably not something you want to eat by itself, but it's a nice addition to a salad.

Mint is a weed.  There are a plethora of kinds of mint out there, if you want to get creative.  Mint, spearmint, chocolate mint, apple mint, pineapple mint.  Just make sure you want mint before you plant it.  I plant it under my bushes where the grass won't grow.

And rhubarb, well, we all love rhubarb.  Who doesn't love a good strawberry rhubarb pie?  (Answer: my dad.  He wants his pie all rhubarb, no strawberries.)  Rhubarb is very hardy, it's cold and drought tolerant, and the plants generally live for 8-15 years.  Also, in doing my research, I found that you're not supposed to have more than 4 or 5 buds (focal points where the stems come out of) coming out of the plant.  I ran out and did a quick check, and I appear to have significantly more than that (I lost track of which ones I had counted somewhere around 10, so I will be breaking up my rhubarb this fall next spring (just read that you should only break up rhubarb in early spring) if anyone nearby would like one.  I also learned that rhubarb does not appreciate temperatures over 90 degrees, which is probably why it's looked so sad recently.

One of the things that amuses me about rhubarb is that the more you pick, the more you get. Really.  It sort of chokes itself out under it's own leaves and just stops growing.  Thin out the leaves, and poof it starts growing again.

After a post on rhubarb last year, I received a comment on Facebook that you shouldn't eat rhubarb picked after the end of June, because the stalks get poisonous.  From what I can find on the internet, this is not true.  However, it does say that stems get tougher later in the season and, as we discussed previously, that rhubarb doesn't grow as well in hot weather.  So, if you pick when it's hot out, your plant might be damaged and the stalks won't even be that good.  Except I've never had a problem with tough stalks, and my plant is out of control... so I'm going to keep on picking!

In my opinion, the best way to preserve rhubarb is just straight up freezing.  Cut the leaves off and compost them, wash the stems, cut them up into about 1/2 inch pieces, and throw them in the freezer.  I like to freeze in two cup increments, because most rhubarb recipes I've seen call for rhubarb in 2, 4, or 6 cup increments.  When you need it, throw it in your pie, or cobbler, or your ribs, or your chicken, or whatever!

This year I also tried pickling some rhubarb.  It was just okay.  The flavor was there, but the texture was not.  I want a pickle to be crispy, and this was very soft and just a little stringy (like rhubarb can be) which made it a challenge to bite into.

I wonder, though, if this isn't because I have very thin rhubarb.  I don't think it's because my plant is overgrown - I've always had thin rhubarb.  And the parent plant that my rhubarb came from has thin stalks.  And the sibling plants that have broken off of both my and the parent plants have thin stalks.  Thin stalks are going to cook faster, and therefore get softer.

So, if you've got extra rhubarb to spare, try pickling it.

I also had the opportunity to use my new food toy.  For my birthday, my wonderful husband got me a food dehydrator.  Because, really, what I need is another way to stash away food.  I'm pretty sure I was a squirrel in a former life.

I tried the rhubarb in the dehydrator two ways: little pieces of rhubarb tossed in sugar and a little bit of cinnamon, and fruit roll-ups.

Yes, fruit roll-ups.  Or, I suppose I should say fruit leather so the fruit roll-up people don't find me and sue me.

The regular rhubarb was good.  It is sweet and sour and a little tangy, and will be a great addition to a trail mix.  I do love a trail mix, and it's nice to have something that I made myself to throw in.

But the fruit leather, this was the star.  Oh yes.  It was just exactly what you want a grown up fruit roll up to be - with real fruit and no preservatives, and actual little chunks of fruit.  It was not, however, a good way to preserve food.  Because it was so good I ate it all immediately!


Pickled Rhubarb 
Recipe from Serious Eats.  If you don't know already how I feel about making up your own canning recipes, here it is: Don't do it!

• 1 pound rhubarb stalks (4 to 6 large stalks)
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

Prepare two wide mouth pint jars and lids.

Wash rhubarb stalks well and trim to fit into the jars. If the stalks are broad, slice them into lengthwise sections. In a small saucepan, combine the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt and bring to a boil.

Divide the mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves and star anise between the two prepared jars. Pack the rhubarb pieces into the jars above the spices.



Once the pickling liquid has boiled and the sugar and salt are dissolved, pour it into the jars over the rhubarb, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Tap the jars gently to dislodge any air bubbles. If the headspace level has dropped significantly, add more pickling liquid.

Wipe jar rims, apply lids and rings and process jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. When time is up, remove jars from canner and set them to cool on a folded kitchen towel. When jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and test seals. If jars are at all sticky, wash them to remove that residue. Sealed jars can be stored in the pantry for up to 1 year. Unsealed jars can be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within 2 weeks.

Let this pickle cure for at least 48 hours before eating.

Dried Rhubarb

• 2 lbs rhubarb stalks, washed and peeled if necissary
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon 

 Cut rhubarb into one inch pieces.  Combine sugar and cinnamon, and toss with rhubarb.  Dehydrate for about 8 hours at 125 degrees using your favorite dehydrating method (regular dehydrator, warm oven, car with the windows closed...)




 
Strawberry Rhubarb Fruit Leather

• 2 lbs rhubarb, washed and sliced into one inch pieces
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1/4 cup honey

Combine all ingredients in a large pot or frying pan and simmer, uncovered, until the rhubarb is softened.

Blend rhubarb mixture with a stick blender, or add in small batches to a food processor or blender.  Feel free to leave a few chunks to add texture to the fruit leather.

 If you are using a food dehydrator, you will want to coat the trays with a small amount of olive oil.  Then, thinly spread the rhubarb mixture on the trays.  This recipe got me just about three trays worth.  Unfortunately, I only have two trays, so I mixed the remaining puree with a few shots of vodka and stuck it in the freezer to make a slushy.  In retrospect, that might have been the best part!

Week Long Episode of Chopped.

First off, I would like to apologize to any offended Russians.  I have been mistakenly assuming that Borscht is Russian, and I learned that it is not.  So, I am sorry that I said I would reward my Russian readers by making Borscht.  Please let me know what I should make, preferably out of  beets, because that's what I have.

Moving on.

I decided part of the problem of my not eating my canned goods is that they are hidden away in my basement where no-one (me) can see them.  I really wish that there wasn't the whole rule about storing your canned goods in a cool dark place.  First, out of sight is out of mind - so I don't think to use them.  Secondly, though, they're just so pretty.  I can picture a wall of fancy, module-y, Ikea style shelves, adorned with brightly colored, shiny canned jars.  But, alas, that is not an option.  In order to make the food last longer, the cans are regulated to the basement.  So, I took my garden picking basket down into the basement and picked me some basement fresh vegetables.

And this week's basket contains...

apple pie filling, yellow tomato chutney, spaghetti sauce, corn salsa, pickled fennel, and beets.

Honestly, I did not plan ahead.  I just pulled random jars off the shelf and threw them in the basket.

The spaghetti sauce was easy.  I had spaghetti for lunch on Sunday.

The apple pie filling went into an apple pie and rhubarb crisp, which I would totally show you a picture of, but I forgot to take a picture and I already ate some tonight.  And, if I have to take a picture, that means I have to eat more, which... this is sounding like a good plan.  No.  No Picture.  Willpower.  I don't need a second bowl of dessert.

Anyway, it was good.  I cooked down some frozen rhubarb (2 cups) with a little bit of honey.  Then I mixed in the apples, spread it into a baking dish, and topped it with my apple crisp topping which is:

• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 3/4 sp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, and eat with ice or whipped cream.

Sunday night for dinner (I'm a little behind) we used the corn salsa in some steak tacos.  They were delicious!

Steak, fried up in a hot pan, finished in the oven, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little bit of cayenne.  Topped with cheddar, corn salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and arugula.  The arugula, I think, was the real star.  It is such a bitter, peppery green.  It worked perfect with the sweet corn salsa.

So I push onward.  Trying to eat up as much of the preserved food as I can before new food is available.  Maybe I can keep my March and April food bills super low, and then spend all that money on seeds to put in the garden to grow more food than I can eat all of next winter!

It is an excellent cycle.

The offer is still out there, by the way.  So far, Shannon is the only one getting canned goodies.  Speak up!  You know you want some.  I haven't gotten botulism yet!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

If you've been paying attention at all, you've probably realized that there are two things that we eat a lot of in my house:

1. Chicken
2. Rhubarb

(okay, I'll give you 3. Zucchini, but that's just because there's so darn much of it right now.)

We eat a lot of rhubarb for the same reason we eat a lot of zucchini.  I have a lot of it, and since it's in my garden it's basically free.  But I also really like it.  I feel like rhubarb is a very under appreciated vegetable.  (It would be a vegetable and not a fruit, because it doesn't have any seeds.  According to Wikipedia, Rhubarb is USUALLY considered a vegetable; however, in the United States, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit, it was to be counted as a fruit for the purpose of regulations and duties.  This reduced the amount paid in taxes on rhubarb.  So what we have learned from this is that taxes are higher on vegetables than on fruit.)  Rhubarb is, in most homes, at most, a pie filling.  Maybe occasionally a crumble or something of that nature.  But a dessert to be certain.  I have so far used it for ribs, risotto, and as a salad dressing.  It's good savory, because it has so much flavor.  If you cook it down without sugar, or with a little bit of honey or maple syrup, you can get a tart sauce that pairs amazingly with spice.  You don't even need a recipe; just throw a cup or two in a pan over low heat and let it cook down until soft and bubbly and there are no more solid chunks.

We eat a lot of chicken because it is probably my favorite meat.  From a foodie perspective, I'm guessing that's blasphemous.  Chicken is boring and pedestrian and whatever.

But it's not.  Chicken is, in my opinion, the most multi-functional meat there is.  Especially if you take into account how much smaller it is than your other major varieties of meat.  I mean, you may have way more cuts of beef than you have cuts of chicken, but on the other hand, a cow is like 100 times bigger than a chicken, so that would make sense!  And, yeah, to grill a chicken is pretty easy... you know... unless you do this... but there's so much more you can do with chicken as well.

So, my thought was to combine the two.  And that brings us to today's recipe.  This is a pretty simple recipe, with not a lot of steps and ingredients.  It's starting to feel like fall in Wisconsin in the evenings, and I'm starting to want to turn the oven on a little.  As much as I like the comforting taste of baked food, this summer has not been long enough and it's a little disappointing:

Baked Rhubarb Chicken

• One chicken, cut into quarters (L)
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch slices (L*)
• 1 Serano chili, minced (L*)
• 2 tbsp garlic scapes, minced (L)
• 2 tbsp honey (L)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Heat olive oil over high heat in large pan, and brown chicken on both sides, working in batches to avoid crowding.  Meanwhile, in a large baking dish, combine rhubarb, chili, garlic, and honey.  Flatten mixture so it creates an even layer on the bottom of the dish, and as the chicken is browned, place it on top of the rhubarb in the dish.

I left one piece out here, so you could see the rhubarb.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  The chicken should be golden and crispy on top, and the rhubarb should be soft, with no crunchy-ness.  It is okay if you can still see the shape of the individual pieces of rhubarb; it should more or less look like rhubarb pie filling.

I served this with boiled new potatoes, and actually scooped the juice of the rhubarb sauce over the chicken and potatoes, using it as a gravy.  I also made a tomato and cucumber salad, which is an easy summer side dish.  One of the nice things about fresh cucumbers in the summer is that the peel tastes delicious, and isn't tough.  Don't eat the peel on a grocery store cucumber, though, because it's actually wax.  In my opinion, the crispness and acidity of the salad is a really good balance for the chicken.  The chicken itself is pretty rich, and would make a good fall or winter meal, if you have the rhubarb at that point:

Tomato and Cucumber Salad:

• 1 cucumber, peel intact, cut into quarters and then sliced - about 1 cup (L*)
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (L*)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh dill (L*)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic scapes (L)
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (L)
• splash balsamic vinegar 

Combine all ingredients, and mix gently.

Jobs I think should be invented...

I went out for dinner last night with my husband and a friend, and we ate at Honeypie - a restaurant not that far from our house that focuses on using local food.  Their specialty - pie.  And it is GOOD pie.  As we were contemplating the plethora of pie choices before us, it was suggested that the restaurant should have a pie sommelier.  Someone who could try all the pies, and pair them with a perfect beverage.  Sign me up!

Another job that I would like to have is Williams-Sonoma tester.  They could just send me their products, and I could test them and make sure they work right.  That way, I could have all their fancy things and NOT spend my entire paycheck at Williams-Sonoma.

One thing that I would like to test first is their fancy outdoor oven.  I do live in WI, so 11.5 months out of the year I would prefer to have my indoor oven running, but occasionally it gets really, really, REALLY hot here.  (really).  This past week has been one of those times.  And I would have used the crap out of that oven.

One of the main problems with me wanting things from Williams-Sonoma, is that most of them are things that I could easily use something else for - something that I could get for cheap.  Or free.  For example, the Chicken Roaster for the grill.  They call it Beer Butt Chicken for a reason here, people.  You stick a beer can up the chicken's butt.  Why am I paying $24.95 for a beer can with no beer in it!  But do I want it?  You bet I do!  Why?  Because William-Sonoma has cast a spell on me and I want to buy everything they sell regardless of it's functional use and/or whether or not I can get the same thing at World Market for 1/10th the price.

Same thing is true of the oven.  I have an outdoor oven.  It's called a grill.  And, what I learned in my last post, is that indirect heat basically turns my grill into an oven. 

So I decided to be adventurous.  But not too adventurous, because I don't want to burn my new grill down too...

My first thought was a pie.  But pies are hard enough normally.  I have had a lot of problem with pies in the past.  So, I decided to go with the poor man's pie: A crisp!

Grilled Rhubarb Crisp:

• 4 cups Rhubarb, chopped about 1/2 inch thick (L*)
• 1 tbsp flour (L)
• 1/2 cup honey (L)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp water (L I guess...)
• 6 tbsp butter (L)
• 6 tbsp flour (L)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• Butter for greasing pan (L)

Pre-heat your grill to 350 degrees.  If at all possible, use indirect heat.  I have a four burner grill, and had to turn the outside burners to high and the inside burners to low.  Place a pizza stone on the grill over the area that isn't receiving direct heat. 

Lightly grease the inside of a 10x6x2 inch glass baking dish.  In the baking dish, combine the first 6 ingredients.  Cream butter, flour, and brown sugar, then stir in oats.  Sprinkle over the top of the rhubarb.

Place baking dish on pizza stone and cook for approximately 40 minutes.  Make sure you keep an eye on the grill, as it may not maintain an even temperature like an oven would.  This is especially true if it starts to rain... like it did for me.

I served this over strawberry rhubarb ice cream.

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

I have an over productive rhubarb plant.

You may have noticed by the abundance of recipes featuring rhubarb such as this one, and this one.  I don't know for sure, but I would guess I have about 20 cups of rhubarb in my freezer right now.  I'm not complaining, mind you.  It freezes well, and it's always a nice treat in the middle of winter.

I had intended to make a pie.  I kept planning to make a pie "that night," and then something would come up.  It doesn't take a lot to distract me from making a pie, though.  I fear pie.  Too much can, and usually does, go wrong.  I've gotten a lot better over the past year or so, but there was a long string of pies that came out wrong.  Really, really wrong.  It's a crust problem.  The crust is either too thick and stays raw, or too thin and gets soggy.  Sometimes it all breaks off of the edges.  Once all the top crust sunk to the bottom of the pie.  I'm not sure exactly how this happened, as it was a fruit pie and it seems impossible that the crust would travel THROUGH the fruit to get to the bottom.  Perhaps there was a tiny wormhole in my oven.

Anyway, I'm a little tentative, and I've gotten really good at coming up with reasons why I can't make a pie.

The thing that prevented me from making the pie most recently was ice cream.  Specifically, we didn't have any!  And what's the point of rhubarb pie without vanilla ice cream?

Ice cream, at least the way I make it, takes about three days, so this was a very good stall technique.  I was personally quite proud of myself.

So I started making the ice cream.  Cooking of non-dinner items always gets the husband's attention:

Husband: What'cha making?
Me: Ice Cream.
Husband: Strawberry Ice Cream?

I paused.  We don't have an abundance of strawberries, but I have been picking about a cup or two a day.  Plus, I don't really like strawberry ice cream.  I mean, I'm not opposed to it, I just wouldn't ever pick it.  It seems dull to me, and I associate it with a fake strawberry flavor.  PLUS, I don't know if I want to admit to my master plan of making a pie.   The husband likes pie, and, as mentioned above, I don't make them very often...

Me: I wasn't planning on making strawberry ice cream.  Do you want strawberry ice cream?
Husband: It's my favorite.

I take the plunge.

Me: I was planning on making vanilla ice cream, and then making a rhubarb pie.  But I can make strawberry ice cream instead if you want.
Husband: Either sounds good.

HA!  Now I don't have to make a pie!!  YAY!!!!

I ended up not having quite enough strawberries to make strawberry ice cream, so I decided instead to make strawberry rhubarb ice cream.  It is SO good.  Not at all fake tasting (why would it be?  I didn't use anything fake) and not too sweet.  I may have to re-evaluate my stance on fruit ice cream.  I guess there are desserts that aren't chocolate that have value...

If you have lots and lots of free time, and don't fear pie crust the way I do, I think this would make an amazing ice-cream pie.  Just bake out a pie crust and fill it with the ice cream.  If anyone (mom) wants to make me an empty pie crust, I will make more and turn it into a pie!  In fact, I bet it would be good with a gram cracker crust too...


Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream:
Total Time: about 1 to 3
Active time: 30 minutes

• Two Cups Strawberries (L*)
• 2 Cups Rhubarb, sliced into about 1/4 inch pieces (L*) (make sure they're not too big or they get weird when frozen)
• 1/3 C + 4 tbsp honey (L)
• Splash vodka
• 1 cup heavy cream (L)
• 1 cup half and half (L)
• 4 large egg yolks (L)
• Pinch salt

Hull strawberries and slice in half.  Place in a medium bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher.  I like chunks in my ice cream, but if you don't you could also use a food processor.  Mix with 2 tbsp honey and allow to sit for about 1 hour.

Place rhubarb into a medium sauce pan with 2 tbsp honey and a splash of vodka.  Cook on low for about an hour, until rhubarb is well broken down.  Again, if you want no chunks, you could put it into the food processor.  Allow rhubarb to cool.

Place rhubarb and strawberries into a large, heat proof bowl.  Rest bowl in an ice bath, and place a wire strainer on top of the bowl (this will get you all prepped for when your custard is done and you have no time!)

In a medium sauce pan, combine cream and half and half, and heat over medium low heat until bubbles just form around the edges.  Do not allow to boil.  Meanwhile, combine egg yolks, remaining honey, and salt in a large bowl and beat on high until yolks are pale yellow and double in size.  I recommend using a stand mixer for this, as you can do other things while the yolks are being beaten.  If you don't have a stand mixer, go buy one!  Or use a hand mixer.

Once eggs are whipped and milk is hot, slowly pour a small amount (1/4 to 1/2 a cup) of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly as you add it.  Then, slowly add the resulting egg/milk mixture back into the hot milk in the pan, again whisking constantly as you pour.  Cook this mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until it just thickens enough to coat the back of your spoon.  Remove the custard immediately, and pour through the strainer into the bowl with the fruit in the ice bath.  Stir constantly until cooled.  Cover with a piece of plastic wrap placed directly on to the top of the custard and refrigerate for several hours, up to overnight.  The colder the custard is, the better it will freeze up.

Freeze the ice cream using your specific ice cream maker's directions.  At this point, I like to freeze the ice cream for another 24 hours before eating, because it's always so soft right after being made.

Ice cream is not hard.  I know it sounds like a lot of work, and for about 10 minutes it is, but mostly it's just waiting and not overcooking the custard.  Maybe I'll make a video on that, too.  Right after my omelet video...

Sometimes I feel sorry for Vegetarians

I totally respect vegetarians.  Especially after this adventure in eating locally, I understand how hard it is to really notice and keep track of everything you are eating.  Lunches at work are especially hard.  Even before this, I tended to just take yesterday's dinner leftovers for lunch, but what if there are no leftovers?  What if I don't have time pack something?  Trying to find local lunch restaurants that I can eat at is impossible, but even in just looking I notice the minuscule amount of vegetarian options out there.  I feel very strongly about eating locally.  It's better for the environment, the economy, and my health.  And it straight up tastes better.  But I cheat.  I don't think I've done a single recipe yet that was 100% local.  It's just too hard.

Vegetarians don't cheat... at least most of them I know don't.  You don't say, "this is too hard.  I'm just going to give up today and eat this ham sandwich.  Then, tomorrow, I'll be back on track."  I couldn't do it.

Which isn't to say that I would want to be a vegetarian if I could.  I'm sorry.  I know a lot of my friends - especially my belly dance friends - are vegetarians.  I don't want to insult you.  I respect the choices you've made.  But I don't agree with them.  There's a flip side to everything.  Health, moral, or religious, I could give you a counter to your reason.  I won't, because I don't want to fight, but I could.  Not that I'd expect vegetarians to agree with me - it's just that nothing in this world is that black and white.

This blog, it has been pointed out to me, has not been vegetarian friendly.  That is not intentional.  Before starting my locavore diet I was probably eating one meat free meal per week.  The thing is, there hasn't been enough vegetables to support that.  I promise, there will be vegetarian posts in the future.

Not today, though.

Dinners like this one make me feel sorry for vegetarians.  Because you do not know what you are missing.  Or, maybe you do and have willpower of stone.  But there's something about a rib that is melt off the bone tender - sweet, savory, spicy...  And, for those of you who are buying your pork in the grocery store because it's cheap, you also don't know what you're missing.  As a child, I did not like pork at all, and now I do.  I wonder if it was because of the pork I was getting.  I just bought a new cookbook called "Good Meat," about sustainable farming and butchering, and the forward states that the pork you buy at the grocery store basically comes from a different animal than the pork that you buy from a farmer's market.  I'd believe that, because it tastes completely different.  I pared this with a "weed" salad - dandelion greens, sorrel, mint, and radish greens all from my back yard.  It was spicy and crunchy, the ribs were tender and melted in your mouth.

The only thing I might do differently was save up all the cooking juice, reduce it down, and serve it over mashed potatoes.  I feel like it got wasted, and it was just too good for that.

Slow Cooked Pork Ribs with Rhubarb Braising Sauce:

(should have made 3 servings, but the two of us demolished the whole thing!)

• Spice Rub
  
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp white pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tbsp paprika
  
• 3 half racks pork ribs (country, or baby back if you have the $ to spend on baby back) (L)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 Large shallots, sliced and roughly chopped (L)
• 1/2 garlic clove, chopped (L)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or rose.  I thought a rose might make this "pink-ish".  It never does!)
• 1 cup chicken stock (L)
• 3 cups rhubarb (L*)

Mix together spice rub and rub onto ribs.  

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan until hot.  Brown ribs on both sides and transfer to a crock pot.  Add shallots and garlic and saute briefly.  Add wine and deglaze pan.  Transfer to crock pot, along with chicken stock and rhubarb.  Cook on low for 10 hours.

Weed Salad:

• 4-5 sorrel leaves(L*)
• 1 large bunch dandelion leaves (L*)
• 10 mint leaves, chiffonaded (not sure that's a word...) (L*)
• 4-5 small radishes, with tender leaves (L*)
• Shaved Parmesan cheese

Wash everything VERY well.  Shred first three ingredients and combine.  Remove tender leaves from radishes, and add to greens.  Slice radishes thinly and add.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Dress with rhubarb dressing. 

Yes, this is a pile of weeds that I washed.  And then I ate it.
And it was good. 

I have crabs... and I couldn't be happier!

So, I've said from the beginning that there are going to be exceptions to my local rule.  This has got to be one of them! 

Soft shell crabs are about my FAVORITE food in the world.  I'm pretty sure that they are the most delicious seafood of them all... although it might just be that they're only available for about two weeks a year, so they're always a special treat.  Nah, I'm going to go with most delicious seafood of them all.  And they're so easy to make!  Which is good, because, seeing as they're only available two weeks a year, I don't get a lot of opportunity to practice...

I can never quite remember which two weeks, though, and I have missed them in the past.  Yesterday, on my way home from work, something told me to swing by the Public Market.  Having just gotten home from my dance trip, there was very little food in the fridge.  My original plan was to swing by Outpost and find something to make for dinner, but a little voice in my head said: "You have to teach tonight.  You don't have time for real food.  Cheat.  Get some fish!"  I tend to listen to the little food voice in my head... except, maybe, for the one that is constantly screaming "FEED ME SUSHI!!!" because that one doesn't understand that I have a budget...  But this was the good voice... The sane voice that tells me to eat beef when my iron is low, and craves vegetables all winter, and demanded I buy 7 kinds of tomato plants at the farmers market...  It may be the same voice that tells me that a bottle of red wine and a bar of dark baking chocolate are good for my heart, but we all have to have some flaws, right?

Anyway, I went to the Public Market, and wandered down to visit my lovely fishmonger boyfriend, and as I was pondering what to get he looked at me with a little wink and said "we have soft shell crabs..."

"Yes!  Thank you!  Yes!! NOW!"

Anyway, I've also gotten to the point where I need to pick some of my rhubarb, so I decided to use up some of that as well.  I love rhubarb pie probably more than the next person, but I also really enjoy rhubarb in savory dishes.  I've used it as a sauce for pork before, and so this recipe was somewhat inspired by that taste:

Rhubarb Risotto with Grilled Soft Shell Crab

Serves 2 with leftovers

• 3-4 cups chicken stock (L)
• 3-4 slices thick sliced bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (L)
• 1 shallot, minced (L)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (L)
• 2 cups rhubarb, thinly sliced (*L)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups arriboro rice
• 1/2 cup dry white or rose wine
• honey or maple syrup to taste (L)
• 2 tbsp butter (L)
• 1/4 cup chives, minced (*L)

• 6 soft shell crabs
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Minced Chives (*L)

This recipe could easily be made vegetarian.  Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock, and use 2 tbsp olive oil in place of the bacon.

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a medium sauce pan.

In a large saute pan, fry bacon until crispy.  Remove bacon, leaving drippings in pan.  Add onions and garlic, and saute until softened.  Add rhubarb and continue to cook until the rhubarb begins to soften and has released some of its liquid.  Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.  Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is mostly opaque with a little white dot in the center.

Add wine, and cook, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has evaporated (I used a rose, and it made the rice just a little bit pink!).  Do not let the rice become completely dry.  Add about 1/3 of the stock to the pan and stir.  Allow to cook, uncovered, until most of the stock has been absorbed, stirring regularly.  Add 1/3 more of the stock.  Again, cook uncovered, stirring regularly, until most of the stock is absorbed.  Add final 1/3 of stock and stir vigorously.   Allow to cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of the stock is absorbed.  Taste and season as desired.  If the risotto is too tart, add a little bit of the honey or maple syrup (not too much.  This is not supposed to be a sweat dish!).  Remove from heat.  Add the butter and retained bacon bits, stir, and allow to sit covered for about 5 minutes or until butter is melted.  Stir again to incorporate.

Meanwhile, brush crabs with olive oil, and season generously with salt, pepper, and chives.  Grill over a medium high grill, for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until firm to the touch but not burnt.  Do not overcook, they should still be juicy, even in the ends of their legs.

I served this with a mixed green salad from Growing Power (L), with Feta Cheese (L) and Rhubarb Vinaigrette Dressing:

• 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced rhubarb (*L)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (L)
• 1/3 cup sweet, fruity wine vinegar (I used raspberry blush because I had it, but really anything would work.  I considered using a pear white wine vinegar too).
• 1/4 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup olive oil

In a medium saucepan, combine rhubarb, syrup, and vinegar.  Cook, uncovered, until rhubarb is very soft.  Transfer to a blender, add remaining ingredients, and blend until well combined and rhubarb is liquefied.   Allow to cool.

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