My cousin Anna gave me a bunch of rhubarb from her vegetable garden on the farm, and I’ve poached some with orange and cinnamon. There was more than a kilo of stems, so I made up jar to give to a friend, and we’ll be having the rest this week. I included this recipe for poached rhubarb with orange and cinnamon in an earlier newsletter. It was part of hamper I delivered to my mum for Mother’s Day.
Rhubarb (rheum rhabarbarum) is related to docks and sorrels. It’s a hardy plant which includes about twenty perennial species. The word rhubarb is of Latin origin. The ancient Romans imported rhubarb roots from unknown, barbarian lands, beyond the Vogue river, otherwise known as the Rha River. Rha was first adopted to mean rhubarb. https://highaltituderhubarb.com/history-of-rhubarb/
Did you know that its dried and powdered root has been used as a laxative in Chinese medicine for thousands of years? The tart, young stems began to be cooked by westerners in the late 18th century as sugar became cheaper and more plentiful in Europe. The leaves, however, contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous. They should never be eaten, either cooked or uncooked.
Poached rhubarb with orange and cinnamon is delicious with porridge and yoghurt. I’ve started making porridge again now that there’s a nip in the air. I’m also quite partial to it with a slice of butter cake and custard. It would go beautifully with https://atamandastable.com.au/spiced-bread-ice-cream/
Best wishes,
Amanda
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Poached Rhubarb with Orange and Cinnamon
Ingredients
- 600 g rhubarb (5-6 stems), washed, leaves and ends trimmed
- 2 oranges, zest and juice
- 60 g raw sugar (1/4 cup)
- 1 cinnamon stick substitute with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Trim rhubarb into 3 cm pieces. Place the rhubarb pieces, together with the orange, sugar and cinnamon stick in a medium saucpan and stir everything together.
- Bring to boil, then lower to a simmer, making sure all the sugar has dissolved.
- Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, maintain the shape of the pieces. If you prefer the rhubarb to disintegrate, simply cook for a a few more minutes.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
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