Rhubarb is also suitable for other things than dessert.
Kirpsakka rhubarb is a versatile useful plant and a perennial favorite as an ingredient for summer delicacies. Rhubarb can be made into pie, juice, jelly and whatever. Traditional rhubarb delicacies always work, but have you thought that rhubarb could also work in a completely new way, for example with a main course?
Food supplier and influencer A fairy tale in Koivisto is a new tip for Finns to use rhubarb in salty dishes.
– Rhubarb is a sour ingredient that nicely cuts rich and fatty foods, Koivisto reveals in Mylly’s Parhaa announcement.
Rhubarb is a familiar sight in many people’s gardens and summer tables. Unsplash
Koivisto got the idea to use rhubarb as an ingredient in savory dishes already years ago, when he read a magazine story about a person from the Middle East who was amazed by the Finns’ way of making only sweet dishes from rhubarb. In the Middle East, rhubarb is used in casseroles, for example.
Have you tried these yet?
Try rhubarb, for example, to refresh a coleslaw salad or to flavor a dipping sauce. Rhubarb also goes well with fatty fish, so it is an effective seasoning for salmon dumplings, Koivisto says in the release.
Due to its acidity, rhubarb is suitable for seasoning grilled fish or ceviche, so you can easily replace lemon with rhubarb the next time you grill fish. Ginger and chili are good for rhubarb itself. You can make a tasty chutney from it as an addition to grilled dishes.
Rhubarb can produce quite a crop, so it can be difficult to use it only as a dessert. Koivisto reminds people to boldly try new rhubarb recipes, and not to get stuck on the first recipe they come across, lest the abundant harvest be wasted.
Rhubarb can also be easily frozen. Store the stems as they are, lightly peeled and sliced, in suitable bags or boxes, and freeze. If you want, you can add a little sugar to the slices.
Savory rhubarb pie
(8 servings)
Base:
1 pkt salty pie dough base
Filling:
1 bunch of scallions
2 rhubarb stalks
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
1 pc small capers
1 pinch of salt
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
150 g of strong cheese, e.g. cheddar or old Gouda
1 pinch of black pepper
Guide:
1. Take the pie base to melt, it will melt in about an hour.
2. Finely chop the onion. Chop the rhubarb, no need to peel, and chop the herb.
3. Heat the rapeseed oil in a pan. Sauté the onion and rhubarb until the onion becomes soft, about 10 minutes. Add the herb and drained capers. Season with salt. Cool down.
4. Press the melted dough onto the bottom of the pie pan (⌀ 25–30 cm).
5. Add the crème fraîche, egg and grated cheese to the pan and mix. Season with black pepper.
6. Spread the filling on top of the base. Bake the pie on the lowest level of the oven at 200 degrees for approx. 40 minutes, until the bottom comes away from the edges.
7. Serve the pie slightly warm with rhubarb juice or even wine. The room-temperature base stays together well and you can eat it with your fingers, handy for summer parties!
Recipe: Satu Koivisto
Sources: Harvest season calendar, Martha