Saturday, May 12, 2012

Rhubarb Strawberry Apple Sauce

Life continues to be busy, and unfortunately there hasn’t been much time for blogging. But we do make sure to make time for some fun in the kitchen, and the kid and I have been enjoying doing the dishes together. I hope that’s something we’ll enjoy doing together for a long time…


We got some rhubarb in our last CSA box, and I decided to make a sauce out of it. Since rhubarb is quite tart and there were only four stalks in the CSA box, I also used the strawberries and the apple that were in the box.


I remember rhubarb from when I was growing up. My mom grew lots and lots of it, but I never liked it very much, maybe because my mom usually cooked it by itself with very little sugar (which I appreciate now!), and it was just too tart for me.

Over the years, I have sampled various rhubarb pies, which I liked, but I always thought they must contain a ton of sugar because they were usually quite sweet and not tart at all…

I ended up really liking the sauce I made, and I ate it with Greek yogurt and also stirred some in some oatmeal. The strawberries and the apple added natural sweetness and took away some of the tartness of the rhubarb, and I added only a little bit of organic sugar. The sauce was still tart but pleasantly so. Maybe my taste buds are changing as I’m getting older… Smile


Rhubarb Strawberry Apple Sauce 
Ingredients
  • Rhubarb stalks (I used four)
  • Strawberries (I used  one container) – The sweeter and riper the strawberries the better
  • 1 apple
  • Organic sugar, to taste – I used about 2 teaspoons
Directions
  1. Cut the ends off the rhubarb and peel off the fibrous strings.
  2. Cut the rhubarb into 1 inch pieces.
  3. Cut the strawberries and apple into pieces.
  4. Put the fruit into a pot with a few tablespoons of water.
  5. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until the fruit becomes soft.
  6. Smash the fruit with a fork, leaving some bigger pieces.
  7. Add sugar to taste before taking the sauce off the heat.

I’m glad the rhubarb showed up in our CSA box, as it made me give it a second chance. I’ve seen lots of rhubarb at the Farmers’ Market in the last few weeks, but I don’t think I would have picked any up… Trying new fruits and vegetables or giving them a second chance is one of the things I love most about our CSA box!

Questions: Do you like rhubarb? If so, what’s your favorite way to eat it? What’s a fruit/vegetable from your childhood that you didn’t like then but love now? I used to seriously dislike beets and now can’t get enough of them.

Be well,
Andrea