Rhubarb is a vegetable masquerading as a fruit. It’s usually used as a filling for a pie or crumble, but there are far more creative ways to make use of its bright, tart flavour than just pudding. It can be celebrated in chutneys, pickles, stews and salads, while its natural astringency means it’s also a fantastic accompaniment to all sorts of rich meat, fish and cheese, from duck, pork and lamb to oily mackerel and cheese.
Lamb bulgur pilaf with rhubarb and almonds
Tart rhubarb brings a citrussy vibrancy to this dish, cutting through the lamb’s fattiness in much the same way as lemon would.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4-6
60g ghee
750g lamb rump, diced
1 onion, peeled, halved and finely sliced into crescents
60g flaked almonds
1 cinnamon quill, broken up
1 tbsp honey
200g rhubarb, cut into 4cm lengths
1 tsp each ground ginger, coriander and cumin
400g bulgur wheat
Salt and black pepper, to taste
750ml boiling hot chicken stock
To serve
A handful of golden sultanas
A handful of crisp shallots
A handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Melt a tablespoon of ghee in a casserole over a medium-high heat, and brown the lamb pieces all over, in batches if need be. Remove the lamb from the pan and put to one side, then add the onions to the pan and fry over a low heat until caramelised.
Add the almonds and cinnamon, stir until toasted, then tip out of the pan and set aside. Pour the remaining ghee into the pan, add the honey and leave to bubble over a high heat until it starts to caramelise. Gently lower in the rhubarb and cook until it, too, is caramelised but still holds its shape. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Return the onions, lamb and almonds to the pan, sprinkle over the ground ginger, coriander and cumin, and fry, stirring, until fragrant.
Scatter in the bulgur, season, then cook the wheat until toasted. Pour the hot stock over the contents of the pan, cover with a lid and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the bulgur has absorbed the stock, then return rhubarb to the pan and cover the pan again, leaving the bulgur to steam for a further three to four minutes.
Scatter over a handful of golden sultanas, crisp shallots and parsley, and serve.
UK readers: click to buy these ingredients from Ocado
Rhubarb, chard and goat’s cheese galette
Move over celery! Thinly shaved stalks of raw rhubarb bring a mouth-puckering sharpness to salads, and to this rustic, savoury pie in which it lends a lovely, light contrast to the rich goat’s cheese.
Prep 15 min
Chill 30 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4
For the pastry
150g plain flour
150g wholewheat flour
1 tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves
175g cold butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 beaten egg, to glaze
For the filling
Olive oil
A knob of butter
400g chard, stems chopped, leaves finely shredded
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper
A good grating of nutmeg
175g soft goat’s cheese
2 rhubarb stalks, cut into 8cm lengths, then shaved with a vegetable peeler
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
A handful of toasted pine nuts, to serve
To make the pastry, put both flours, a fat pinch of sea salt and the thyme leaves in a bowl, add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk, then work in just enough iced water to bring everything together into a smooth, slightly tacky dough. Form into a ball, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat a tablespoon of oil and the butter in a pan, then saute the chard stems and garlic, stirring often, until softened. Add the lemon zest and chard leaves, and cook until the latter wilt and soften. Season and add a good grating of nutmeg, then leave to cool.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to a round of 30-34cm in diameter, and lift on to a large lined baking sheet. Spoon the chard mix on to the pastry, leaving a 4cm border free around the edges. Crumble the goat’s cheese over the chard, then fold in the pastry borders so they slightly overlap the filling. Brush the exposed pastry with beaten egg, then bake for 35 minutes, or until well browned.
In a bowl, toss the shaved rhubarb with a drizzle of olive oil and the vinegar, season to taste, then pile on top of the cooked tart. Finish with a scattering of pine nuts and serve immediately.
UK readers: click to buy these ingredients from Ocado
