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Across the Kitchen Table:
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| Rhubarb: Beyond Pie Plant
The Incredible, Edible Lemon
A Way with Pork Chops
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Rhubarb: Beyond Pie Plant
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Rhubarb when raw is so tough
And its leaves contain poisonous stuff,
But when cleaned and de-soiled,
Dipped in sugar and boiled,
Then the stalks are quite tasty enough.
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| If you hunger for information about rhubarb (and who doesn’t?), this limerick and much much more resides at www.rhubarbinfo.com, home of The Rhubarb Compendium and possibly the only Web site you will ever need on the subject. Botanical, culinary, medicinal, horticultural, historical, and literary contributions to the great body of rhubarb knowledge make the site a real keeper.
Rhubarb, or pie plant as our grandmothers called it, is a large perennial vegetable hardy at least to Zone 3, a testament to its origins in the mountains of Tibet. The ancient Chinese and Tibetans valued it as a medicinal plant used to aid digestion, to ease constipation, and as a liver stimulant. The fleshy red stalk, called the petiole, is the edible part, although the roots have some pharmacological interest. The huge, hairy leaves contain oxalic acid and are poisonous in quantity. Rhubarb made its way to Europe in about the 14th century, where someone made the fortuitous connection between rhubarb and sugar.
As one of the first crops of the garden, rhubarb has a reputation as a spring tonic. It is high in vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. If you are planting rhubarb this year for the first time, set the roots into rich, well-drained soil, and be patient: it’s best not to harvest until at least the second year. Pick rhubarb by gently pulling and twisting the stalks so they separate from the base of the plant (don’t cut them), and harvest no more than a third of any given plant at a time. Remove any seed stalks that are sent up from the base.
About 20 years ago, my father brought me rhubarb roots from his garden in Wisconsin. I’ve divided and moved them two or three times over the years. The name of the variety is lost, but it is a red-stalked type. (You can still buy the old-fashioned green-stalked rhubarb, but the taste is inferior.) Last fall I side-dressed the rhubarb bed with lots of composted sheep bedding and manure, and if the snow ever melts off the garden (!) I expect to see dark green, crinkled leaves pushing up through the compost. As soon as there are enough red stalks, I’ll officially celebrate spring by baking a rhubarb pie.
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Rhubarb Recipes:
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Rhubarb Pie
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You can make a double-crust pie if you wish, but there’s something nice about seeing all that pink rhubarb! If your rhubarb seems especially juicy, add another tablespoon of flour.
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3 to 4 cups diced rhubarb (6 to 8 large stalks)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg, well beaten
pastry for one 9" or 10" pie
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
Toss rhubarb with sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Stir in egg. Place in pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with small dabs of butter if desired. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 350°F and bake for 25-30 minutes longer, until rhubarb is bubbling and crust is browned. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
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Rhubarb Crisp
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Less work than a pie and at least as good! If your rhubarb supply isn’t up to the job, supplement with diced apples or fresh or frozen berries. I usually make this in a 9" deep-dish pie pan, but a square baking dish or similar pan works as well.
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6 to 7 cups diced rhubarb
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Toss rhubarb with sugar, flour, and cinnamon and place in a buttered baking dish. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
Combine streusel ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of rhubarb and pat down slightly. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden. Serve warm with ice cream (vanilla is traditional, but caramel or ginger taste pretty good too!).
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Microwave Rhubarb Chutney
Adapted from one of 360 recipes to be found at www.rhubarbinfo.com. |
| This won’t heat up the kitchen on a hot summer day. |
3 cups diced rhubarb
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces chopped dates
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 medium apples, peeled and chopped
In a 2-quart glass bowl combine rhubarb, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, allspice, and mustard. Microwave on high for 6 minutes or until boiling. Add dates, raisins, and apples. Do not cover. Microwave on high for 6 minutes. Stir, and microwave for 6 minutes longer. Stirring occasionally, let stand until barely warm. Spoon into jars and refrigerate. Will thicken as it cools. Makes 5 pints.
(Note: to preserve by canning, ladle boiling hot chutney into hot sterilized glass jars, cover, and process in a boiling-water-bath canner for about 20 minutes. Remove with tongs and cool. Do not break seal on jars. Store in a cool place.)
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Rhubarb Sauce
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You can serve this warm or chilled as a side dish, as you would serve applesauce; layer it with ice cream to make a sundae; or swirl it into a dish of plain or vanilla yogurt for a real treat.
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4 cups diced rhubarb (about 8 large stalks)
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon red currant jelly (optional)
Place rhubarb in a heavy saucepan, add water, cover, and cook over low heat until the rhubarb softens (about 10 minutes). Don’t let the rhubarb burn. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir until the sugar dissolves. For a brighter color, stir in the jelly and simmer for a few minutes longer. Makes about 3 cups sauce.
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Gingery Rhubarb Sauce with Almonds
Also from www.rhubarbinfo.com. Refreshing as a light dessert or sweet side dish. |
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1/2 cup coarsely slivered almonds
4 cups chopped rhubarb
10 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
juice of 1/2 lime
juice and grated rind of 1 orange
Toast almonds at 350°F on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, until golden, checking to be sure they don’t burn. Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently until rhubarb has softened and mixture becomes a sauce. Stir. Add cooled almonds to rhubarb sauce and remove from heat. Chill before serving. Makes about 3 cups.
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The Incredible, Edible Lemon
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| If life hands you a lemon, rejoice! The sunshine-colored fruit has a thousand and one uses around the kitchen, not the least of which is to make lemonade or (even better) lemon meringue pie. You can use lemons to deodorize, detoxify, deglaze, marinate, polish, bleach, and disinfect various items, including yourself. A culinary staple, the lemon lends its freshness and sparkle to every course you put on the table, from appetizer to dessert.
The lemon, Citrus limon, probably originated in Malaysia and was being grown in the Indus Valley of Pakistan in 4000 B.C. It gradually spread along trade routes to Asia, North Africa, and southern Europe. Columbus and other early explorers of the New World brought citrus seeds with them, and by the late 1700s Florida and California had flourishing lemon and orange groves. Lemons found California’s Mediterranean climate especially hospitable, and after large-scale irrigation projects were completed in the 1930s and ‘40s, California took over production of the nation’s lemon crop. Today, 88 percent of our lemons come from California; the remainder, mostly from Arizona.
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A Baker’s Dozen
Household Uses for the Common Lemon
1. Toss lemon peels and rinds down the garbage disposal to keep it smelling sweet.
2. Put a cut lemon on a refrigerator shelf to freshen the air and remove stale smells.
3. Lemon is considered to be the most detoxifying fruit. For best effect, squeeze the juice of a lemon into a glass of hot or cold water first thing in the morning, add a bit of sugar or honey if desired, and drink it down.
4. The lemon is famous for its medicinal qualities. Its antiseptic properties make the juice a popular treatment for coughs and colds, fevers, headaches, sore throats, and insect stings. Rubbing the teeth and gums with a lemon slice once a day firms the gums and whitens the teeth.
5. Squeeze half a lemon into a glass of warm water and use as a hair rinse to bring out highlights and shine.
6. For a quick skin toner, splash on equal parts fresh lemon juice and water.
7. To shine chrome, rub it with a piece of lemon rind and polish with a soft cloth.
8. A paste of lemon juice and salt will clean copper or brass, remove stains from teacups or teapots, clean white marble, remove rust and mildew from fabrics, and polish ivory piano keys.
9. As a marinade or tenderizer for meats, lemon has no peer. Rub the juice of a whole lemon over a leg of lamb or chicken before roasting.
10. To keep rice white, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the cooking water.
11. Remove onion or garlic odors from cutting boards or your hands by rubbing with half a lemon.
12. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice tastes infinitely better than bottled or reconstituted, and will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week. If lemons are on sale, buy a bagful, juice ‘em, and freeze in small containers or ziplock bags. Frozen lemon juice retains its fresh taste for months. You can also freeze the rinds to have on hand for recipes that call for grated rind or zest.
13. For a tasty spread to use on muffins or scones, add finely grated lemon peel to soft butter.
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Lemon Facts and Oddities
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• The lemons in your supermarket are probably either ‘Lisbon’ (oval to round, without a pronounced bulge on one end) or ‘Eureka’ (oval, with that bulge on one end). The ‘Meyer’ hybrid is less common.
• An average lemon weighs about 5 ounces, yields about 1 tablespoon of grated rind, and contains about 3 tablespoons of juice. To get more juice from a lemon, roll it around on a hard surface before squeezing.
• The edible pulp of the lemon is called the endocarp. The white tissue around the pulp is called the mesocarp, and the pigmented rind (rich in oil glands) is called the exocarp or flavedo.
• Lemons are even less hardy than other citrus fruit. Thirty minutes at 26°F to 28°F kills the fruit. Lemons freeze from the stem end to the button. Leaves and stems are killed by a few minutes at 20°F to 28°F, depending on species and age. (This is why lemon trees don’t do well in New Hampshire.)
• If a lemon has a thin skin, it probably matured during humid weather. Peels become thicker and more pebbly in dry conditions.
• The average lemon has less than 10 percent sugar content (compared to 16 or 17 percent for tangerines) and acidity of 6 percent (compared to about 1 percent for oranges). The pH of lemon juice is 2.3, slightly more acidic than white vinegar.
• Like other citrus fruits, all lemons are harvested by hand.
• Lemons offer 60 mg of vitamin C in every 3-1/2-ounces (100 grams) of fruit. That’s enough, if taken daily, to ward off scurvy, as the British Navy discovered in the 17th century.
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Lemon Recipes
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Blanche’s Lemon Meringue Pie
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I got this treasured recipe many years ago from Blanche Burnett of Dublin, New Hampshire, locally famous for her pies and her handmade Raggedy Ann dolls. Although Blanche has passed to her heavenly reward, her pies live fondly in my memory.
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1-1/4 cups sugar
dash of salt
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1-3/4 cups boiling water
grated rind of 1 large lemon
4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
one 9" pie shell, prebaked and cooled
In a heavy saucepan, mix the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Add the water and lemon rind and cook gently, stirring until thickened. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the butter, but do not stir. Remove from heat. Mix the egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir 1/4 cup of the hot sugar mixture into the yolks, then pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the sugar mixture. Blend well and pour into pie shell. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes while you make the meringue.
Meringue:
3 egg whites
dash of salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons sugar
Beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add the lemon juice. Beat in the sugar gradually until the meringue is stiff but not dry. Spread the meringue over the top of the hot pie to enclose it completely. Lower heat to 350°F and continue baking until the meringue is lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature.
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Lemon Sugar Cookies
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| These cookies develop a lovely crackled top as they bake. They are crisp at the edges and chewy in the center. |
2-3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup quick rolled oats
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the lemon rind and juice to the egg mixture. Gradually add the flour mixture, then the oats. Blend well and chill dough for at least 2 hours.
Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place on greased cookie sheets, allowing room for cookies to spread. Using a flat-bottomed glass or custard cup that has been greased on the bottom and dipped in sugar, flatten each ball to 1/4" thick. (Dip the glass in sugar each time.) Bake at 375°F until lightly browned around the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then carefully remove to a wire rack. Makes about 40 cookies.
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Lemon Bananas Foster
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| Lemon provides a pleasing contrast to the sweetness of custard and bananas. |
1-1/2 cups sliced firm bananas
4 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
6 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Toss banana slices with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and drain off excess. Set aside 6 slices for garnish and divide the remainder among 6 lightly buttered 6-ounce custard cups. Place cups in a shallow baking pan.
Beat eggs, milk, sugar, remaining lemon juice, and lemon rind and pour evenly into custard cups. Place pan in oven at 350°F and pour very hot water into pan to within 1/2" of the top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cups from water and cook on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes.
To serve, loosen custards gently and invert onto serving plates. Garnish with reserved banana slices. Melt butter in a small saucepan, blend in brown sugar, and add water and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the hot syrup over each custard.
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Lemon and Blueberry Muffins
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Crumb Topping:
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Muffin Batter:
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2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup ground walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and toss with a fork to make crumbs. Set aside.
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1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper cups. Cream the butter and sugar; add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and zest. Blend well. Add sour cream or yogurt. Stir flour and baking soda together and add to butter mixture, stirring just to moisten flour. Fold in berries. Divide batter among muffin cups. Sprinkle with Crumb Topping and bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes, until done. Makes 12 muffins.
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Tangy Lemon Short Ribs
This recipe is adapted from one found at http://soar.Berkeley.EDU/recipes.
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4 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup steak sauce
3 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
1 cup water
Place ribs in a deep casserole dish or other container. Mix the remaining ingredients (except the oil and water) to make a marinade, and pour it over the ribs. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
Remove ribs from the marinade (don’t throw the marinade away). Heat oil in a large Dutch oven and brown the ribs in batches. Place all ribs in the Dutch oven, pour marinade on top, add water, cover, and simmer on the top of the stove or bake in the oven at 350°F for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until meat is tender and falling off the bone. Makes 4 servings.
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Lemon Shrimp with Orzo
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8 ounces orzo, uncooked
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
20 large shrimp, peeled
juice and minced zest of 1 lemon
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
Cook orzo in boiling salted water according to directions on package; drain, toss lightly with 1 teaspoon olive oil, and place in large serving dish.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Cook garlic for 1 minute, add shrimp, and cook until shrimp are opaque, about 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from skillet and keep warm. Add lemon juice and wine to skillet to deglaze it. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and cook until reduced by half (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and add parsley, butter, and capers and stir until butter melts. Adjust seasonings. Arrange shrimp on top of orzo and pour sauce over the shrimp. Serve at once. Makes 2 to 3 servings.
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A Way with Pork Chops
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My mother had a way with pork chops. In my memory, they are beautifully browned, moist, tender, meaty. She’d serve them with homemade applesauce and buttered noodles. I still love to make pork chops, but I’m often disappointed in the result—too dry, tough, somehow bland. These are not my mother’s pork chops, I tell myself sadly.
There are two factors here. One is that she probably was a better cook! But the other is even harder to overcome: Pork chops have changed. Ever since some marketing whiz thought of hawking pork as "the other white meat," farmers have been breeding and feeding for leanness. Porky Pig acquired a marathon runner’s physique.
According to the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), your average pig lugs around 31 percent less fat today than 20 years ago, and an astounding 77 percent less than in 1937, when lard and bacon were staples in every kitchen. Since fat is both a flavor carrier and a tenderizer of meat, no wonder pork chops don’t taste the same.
There are two tricks to cooking today’s pork chops. The first is speed. The second is disguise. Experimenting with both of them has made me think that I might turn into a good pork-chop cook after all.
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Speed Method:
"The most important cooking tip for pork is Don’t Overdo It," says Carma Rogers of the National Pork Producers Council (www.nppc.org). "Most cuts today should be served at medium doneness for a juicy, more flavorful taste." For pork chops about 3/4" thick, that means a total sauteing time of 7 to 8 minutes, using a little oil in the skillet. Four minutes on one side, three minutes on the other. This advice is echoed by my friend Sylvia, a fine cook, who likes to cook pork chops in a small amount of olive oil in a cast-iron pan. She browns the chops on one side, turns them, and takes them off the heat as soon as clear juices start to come out on the second side. Total cooking time is under 10 minutes.
Stephen Schmidt, author of Master Recipes (Fawcett, 1987), also advocates speed in cooking pork chops. His rule of thumb is 6 minutes of cooking per side for each inch of thickness; i.e., 6 minutes total for 1/2" chops, 9 minutes total for 3/4" chops, 12 minutes total for 1" chops, cooking them only at a "quiet sizzle" (high heat toughens them, he warns). Another trick from Schmidt is to rub the meat with salt (about 2 teaspoons total for 6 pork chops), cover, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours before cooking. Scrape off most of the salt before sautéing, and cook as above in a mixture of butter and vegetable oil.
Disguise Method:
This includes marinades, rubs, sauces, and glazes, all of which help to tenderize the meat and add moisture and flavor. Marinades usually include an oil, an acid (fruit juice, wine), and spices; pork chops need about 1/2 hour in the marinade to absorb flavors. Rubs are savory mixtures of herbs and spices rubbed onto the surface of meats, where they combine with the natural juices. Glazes are either sweet or savory sauces brushed onto the meat in the last few minutes of cooking.
The aforementioned Sylvia likes to marinate pork chops in a mixture of olive oil, chopped garlic, and either lemon or cumin. The NPPC’s consumer Web site, www.OtherWhiteMeat.com, has a raft of recipes, including this mouth-awakening marinade:
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Adobo Marinade
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1 cup orange juice
4 tablespoons lime juice
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 seeded and chopped chipotle peppers (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon crushed cumin seed
Combine all ingredients in a ziplock plastic bag, add 6 pork chops, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Saute pork chops quickly, discarding marinade.
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Another Web site with good recipes is www.albertapork.com, which suggests tropical flavors for grilled pork chops with this recipe:
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Tropical Pineapple and Lime Pork Chops
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4 rib-end pork chops
2/3 cup pineapple juice
3 limes
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon each salt and dried thyme
Place pork chops in a large plastic bag or sealable container. Grate peel from 2 limes and reserve. Squeeze juice from all 3 limes, combine with remaining ingredients, and pour over chops. Seal and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight, turning chops occasionally.
Preheat barbecue to medium. Remove chops from marinade (which can be discarded) and place on the grill. Barbecue for about 6 minutes per side, with the lid closed. Top with reserved lime peel. Delicious with grilled sweet potato wedges and a salad. Makes 4 servings.
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More great recipes for pork chops are found at www.dianaskitchen.com, www.virtualcities.com (click on 1st Travelers Choice Internet Cookbook), http://PorkRecipe.com, and www.travelguides.com/bandb/recipes/pork.html. You, too, can have a way with pork chops.
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