{"id":1905,"date":"2017-01-29T16:48:49","date_gmt":"2017-01-29T15:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coquinaria.nl\/?p=1905\/"},"modified":"2019-11-27T19:22:21","modified_gmt":"2019-11-27T18:22:21","slug":"rhubarb-the-reverse-tomato","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coquinaria.nl\/en\/rhubarb-the-reverse-tomato\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhubarb, the reverse tomato"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two recipes for early summer<\/h2>\n

Straight to the recipe<\/small><\/a><\/p>\n

Rhubarb is a culinary eccentric, the counterpart of the tomato. Much like the tomato is a fruit that we treat as a vegetable, the rhubarb is actually a vegetable that we treat as a fruit. However, this has only been the case since the last two centuries or so and even then not wholeheartedly. That could be due to the effect rhubarb on the teeth: rhubarb leaves a rough layer on the teeth after eating which feels odd to the tongue. Moreover, the acidity of rhubarb is not to everybody’s taste. Still, give it a try!<\/p>\n

\"PictureRhubarb as medicine<\/span><\/h3>\n

The scientific name for rhubarb,\u00a0Rheum rhabarbarum<\/em>, goes all the way back to Antiquity.\u00a0Rha<\/em>\u00a0was the name for the Volga River where the plant grew according to the Greeks, and that was also where ‘the barbarians’ lived.<\/p>\n

In the Middle East rhubarb stalks have been used in the kitchen since the Middle Ages and appreciated for their acid taste. But in Europe rhubarb remained unknown, except for the dried root that was used as medicine. It was not until the sixteenth century that fresh rhubarb arrived in Europe, and for centuries it would remain more of a curiosity than a culinary ingredient.<\/p>\n

Originally, rhubarb was indigenous in Siberia. The Chinese used the dried and powdered root as medicine. The active ingredient is\u00a0anthraquinone<\/em>; the French\u00a0wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0has the most relevant information on this ingredient. The Chinese kept the production method of the medicine\u00a0pulvus rhei<\/em>\u00a0secret. During Antiquity the powder was already traded to Europe as a very expensive cure against obstipation and other complaints. During the sixteenth century powdered rhubarb root cost ten times as much as the same amount of cinnamon, which was also an expensive spice at the time.<\/p>\n

The following recipe is an example of how\u00a0pulvus rhei<\/em>\u00a0was used during the sixteenth century: steep 30 gram raisins in dry Malvasia (wine), drain them well and sprinkle them with 3 to 4 gram dried rhubarb root. Chew these raisins, and the constipation is gone. The source of this recipe is\u00a0Giacomo Castelvetro<\/a>, an Italian who lived in England (see bibliography).<\/p>\n

\"RhubarbRhubarb as poison<\/span><\/h3>\n

Like spinach, rhubarb has a high content of oxalic acid, which can be bad for your teeth. It forms small crystals that attach themselves to the enamel. Do not brush your teeth immediately after eating rhubarb (or spinach), because that would cause more damage. However, there is a simple remedy against the adverse effect of oxalic acid: simply add eggs or milk, cream or butter to the dish. These ingredients neutralise the acid. That is why we often eat eggs with spinach, or eat creamed spinach. In the following recipe, the pie’s stuffing is tempered with eggs, and the rhubarb fool is prepared with cream. So you can safely eat these dishes. However, do not eat rhubarb leaves, because these contain more oxalic acid than the stalks.<\/p>\n

\"Kitchiner'sRhubarb in the kitchen<\/span><\/h3>\n

The English were the first in Europe who adopted rhubarb in the kitchen. Maria Rundell (1745-1828) published a recipe for rhubarb pie in\u00a0A New System of Domestic Cookery<\/em>\u00a0(1807). Fifteen years later\u00a0William Kitchiner<\/a>\u00a0(1775-1827) published a short chapter dedicated solely to rhubarb recipes in\u00a0The Cook\u2019s Oracle<\/em>\u00a0(edition 1822). Kitchiner was an optician, amateur musician and – what’s in a name – talented cook. It seems he not only prepared food himself, but also did the washing up afterwards!<\/p>\n

Kitchiner’s chapter on rhubarb is titled \u2018How to dress spring fruit\u2019, but not all recipes are sweet. There are recipes for savoury rhubarb soup with onions, carrots and ham, and rhubarb sauce for mackerel (instead of the more traditional\u00a0gooseberry sauce<\/a>). A rather sour syrup with rhubarb, lemon peel contains a little sugar. Sweet dishes include rhubarb pudding, rhubarb pie and the typically English dish rhubarb\u00a0fool<\/em>\u00a0(pureed fruit with cream).<\/p>\n

In the Dutch version of the\u00a0Keukenboek<\/em>\u00a0(1867) by Henri\u00ebtte Davidis rhubarb is listed under vegetables. According to her the young leaves of the rhubarb can be prepared as spinach (don’t do this!), the stalks can be prepared as gooseberries and the flower buds can be prepared as cauliflower with a simple sauce. Removing the buds is also important if you want to harvest the stalks, because the flowers will use much of the energy of the plant with shorter stalks as a result.<\/p>\n

The original recipe<\/span><\/h2>\n

The recipe is from William Kitchiner,\u00a0The Cook’s Oracle<\/em>\u00a0 edition 1822, pp.453\/454. The recipe is already in English, so no translation is necessary.<\/p>\n

Spring Fruit – or Mock Gooseberry Fool
\nPrepare a Marmalade as directed for the Pudding; to which add a pint of good thick Cream; serve up in glasses, or in a deep dish; – if wanted in a shape, dissolve two ounces of isinglass in a little water, strain it through a tammis, and when nearly cold put it to the cream, pour it into a jelly mould, and when set, turn out into a dish, and serve up plain.<\/em><\/p>\n

For the Marmalade
\nPeel and well wash […] sticks of rhubarb, blanch it in water three or four minutes, drain it on a sieve […]
\n[…] put it in a stew pan with the peel of a Lemon, a bit of Cinnamon, two Cloves, and as much moist sugar as will sweeten it; set it over a fire, and reduce it to a marmalade, pass it through a hair sieve […]<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>Modern adaptation of the recipe<\/h2>\n

Although they are not mentioned in the original recipe, I have used pistacchios as garnish. I like the colour combination, and the bite the nuts add to the otherwise\u00a0soft dish.
\nDessert<\/span>\u00a0for 4 to 6 persons<\/span>;\u00a0preparation in advance<\/em>\u00a015 minutes + cooling<\/span><\/span>;\u00a0preparation<\/em>\u00a010 minutes<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"Rhubarb500 gr\u00a0rhubarb marmalade<\/span>\u00a0(see recipe\u00a0below<\/a>)
\n2.5 dl (1 cup) double cream\u00a0(at least 35% fat)
\n1 tsp\u00a0sugar<\/span>
\n2 Tbsp pistacchio nuts<\/span>, chopped<\/p>\n

Preparation in advance<\/h3>\n

Prepare the rhubarb marmalade, and let it cool and then keep it in the refrigerator.<\/p>\n

Preparation<\/h3>\n

Whip the cream with a dash of salt. Do not add the sugar until the cream is stiff. Then add the cream to the rhubarb puree in a large bowl. Mix rhubarb and cream lightly, it is best if there are still some lighter and darker streaks visible. Scoop the fool in small bowls or glasses and sprinkle some chopped pistachios over it.<\/p>\n

To serve<\/h3>\n

Serve as soon as possible, preferably the same day. Put the fools back in the refrigerator if they will not be served right away. Serve with whipped cream if desired.<\/p>\n

Alternative – Pudding<\/h2>\n

According to Kitchiner the fool can be reinforced with\u00a0isinglass<\/em>\u00a0(fish glue<\/a>), to make rhubarb pudding. Nowadays isinglass is hard to find and very expensive. Use gelatine instead. Dissolve the gelatine in one deciliter heated rhubarb marmalade and combine this with the cold pur\u00e9e and whipped cream. Rinse a pudding mould with cold water and pour the rhubarb mousse in the mould. Let it set for at least three hours in the refrigerator. Dip the mould in hot water for a few seconds and demould the pudding on a plate. Garnish with some extra whipped cream and pistachio nuts.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Rhubarb marmalade<\/h3>\n

Kitchiner writes: \u201creduce it to a marmalade\u201d. The amounts given below will yield about 5 decilitres rhubarb ‘marmalade’.<\/p>\n

500 gr rhubarb stalks, rinsed, peeled and chopped
\n100 gr dark\u00a0moist sugar<\/a>
\ngrated peel of \u00bd lemon
\n1 cinnamon stick
\n2 cloves<\/p>\n

Preparation<\/span><\/h3>\n

Add everything to a cooking pan and let it simmer until the rhubarb is done, which should taker about ten minutes. There is no need to add water. Remove the spices, and puree the rhubarb in a blender or push it through a strainer.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Pint = 538 milliliter
\n<\/a>Ounce = 28 gram<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/h2>\n

All descriptions of ingredients<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Moist sugar<\/h4>\n

Kitchiner uses \u2018moist sugar\u2019 for the rhubarb marmalade. This is not sugar syrup, but dark muscovado sugar or unrefined or partially refined cane sugar. This still contains some moisture, hence the name moist sugar. Some brands sell different varieties of moist sugar, like the British manufacturer Tate & Lyle, which all have different flavours.<\/p>\n

Bibliography<\/h2>\n

The editions below were used by me. Links refer to available editions.<\/p>\n