To Market with Mo: 'Tis Rhubarb


Monday, May 18, 2009












May 18, 2009

Confession. I HATED rhubarb as a kid. As much as I loved pie (and all sweets) I couldn't get past where I had to harvest the rhubarb from: a large manure pile behind our barn. Why would I consume something that grew in a manure pile? NOT.  Did not matter how incredible my mom's pie was and that strawberries were involved, the suspect rhubarb stopped any bite of pie from entering my mouth. And trust me, I was not a picky eater as a child...or now.

A long ago gift of rhubarb plants, for my garden, from my father-in-law helped me get past my aversion.  And so I gave the stalks a try. 

Besides asparagus, rhubarb is another indicator that a long winter is behind us, and the world around will turn shades of new green and the days will be warmer and longer.

"Pie Plant" as rhubarb is affectionately known, is botanically a vegetable but 'swings both ways' as fruit & veg, and has edible stalks that vary in color from green to deep red (do not eat the leafs as they are toxic to humans).  Believe it or not the green stalked have a more robust flavor...red just happened to become more popular thru the years...prettier I suppose.

Popular as a pie, a cobbler or crisp, stewed or as a jam, rhubarb stands up well to savory sides, salads and main course dishes.  When the first stalks of rhubarb arrive at the Farmers Market I quickly get them home, chop them up, put in a pot with equal parts of sugar, a few dashes of cinnamon and ginger and a sprinkle of water to cook it all down until it is nice and jammy. Perfect on a slice of toast and even better on a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  But after a conversation with Joel from Green Acres, at Green City Market this past week, I was inspired to go savory. The following recipe is the result.

Rhubarb Shallot Vinagrette*
2-3 medium stalks of rhubarb
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 cup plus scant amount olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallot
1/3 cup white wine vinegar (NB: if you run our of white wine vinegar the flat champagne buried forgotten in the back of the fridge stands in remarkably well)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut rhubarb into 1 inch pieces. Coat with olive oil and sugar. Place on baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes or until soft.

Put rhubarb (be sure to scrape al the yummy caramelized bits off the baking sheet as well) in food processor or blender. Puree rhubarb. Add shallots, vinegar, salt and pepper and blend together. Slowly stream in the olive oil. Viola, vinagrette!

*Drizzle on a perfect head of butter lettuce (Iron Creek Farm has beautiful heads of the lettuce right now) for a simple salad.  Or try the salad I made for lunch today: Thinly sliced raw asparagus, french breakfast radishes (from Green Acres), leftover roasted heirloom potatoes (from Nichols Farm) , diced shallots or green onion, salt & pepper to taste, all tossed with the Rhubarb Shallot vinagrette and topped with some roasted chicken and garnished with radish sprouts (from Tiny Greens). Yum.

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2 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Mo - I jut love that you are doing this and I appreciate a good rhubarb recipe that is not just a pie - BL
May 20, 2009 12:52 PM  
Blogger captainjohn said...
OK, here's one for you, Moira. Your Great Granny, Mary Herbert Tuffy, grew rhubarb in the yard behind Greenpoint Avenue during WWII when she got trapped here due to sea travel being shut down after her visit to attend the '38 World's Fair in New York. Don't remember how she prepared them as I was a wee lad, but think it was just served as a vegetable, ala sauteed celery.
Love, Dad
May 21, 2009 1:19 PM  

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TO Market with Mo: Asparagus has Sprung


Monday, May 11, 2009



Tuesday,  May 12, 2009


Spring has sprung and ushered in the official opening of the Farmers Market season in Chicago!  And the first thing to catch my eye on my first market visit of the season? One of the oldest cultivated plants in the civilized world: Asparagus. 

Long considered a delicacy and one of the first signs of spring, how asparagus fell into obscurity during the Middle Ages is beyond me, but my gratitude to Louis XIV for rediscovering and popularizing in the 18th century.

At Chicago's Green City Market asparagus from Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois are overflowing the farmer's stands.  Green and my personal favorite, purple (which has a fruitier flavor) are available at the Farmers Markets now thru the end of June.

Pick out firm asparagus stems that have a uniform diameter, closed tips, and cut ends that are not woody and dried out.  Farm fresh pencil thin, medium and larger diameter are all wonderfully tasty but contrary to popular belief the larger diameter are the tenderest (and I find stand up to grilling and roasting much better).

I love asparagus steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, pickled, microwaved, as soup, but most of all, grilled or roasted.  Grilling and roasting bring out asparagus' sweetness.

Here is an easy and lite breakfast, lunch or dinner entree that conjures up al fresco dining in Spain. I like to sprinkle a pinch of Black Truffle Salt after plating the dish...in a word: devine.

Buen Provecho!

Roasted Asparagus & Eggs
(serves 4) 
1 bunch of medium diameter asparagus
1 Tablespoon & scant drizzle of olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
cracked black pepper (to taste)
4 large fresh eggs (try the duck eggs from Mint Creek Farms - delicious)
2 oz. shaved manchego or parmesan cheese
Balsamic Vinegar (to drizzle)
Black Truffle Salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet toss asparagus with 1 T olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. Bake until asparagus is lightly browned and tender, about 15 minutes (timing will vary depending on thickness of the asparagus. Closer to 10-12 minutes for pencil thin spears).
Heat a scant amount of olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Crack eggs into pan and cook until just set sunnyside up.
Divide asparagus among four plates. Top each plate of asparagus with an egg, shaved parmesan, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a small pinch of black truffle salt.

links:
www.chicagogreencitymarket.org
www.mintcreekfarm.com

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2 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Mo-Thanks for sharing! Looks fabulous - can't wait to try!

RO
May 18, 2009 5:13 PM  
Blogger captainjohn said...
OK, Moira, I have one for you. How about asparagus cut no more than 30 minutes from the garden. The taste...the tenderness...the wonder.
Love,
Dad
May 19, 2009 5:59 PM  

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To Market With Mo


Tuesday, May 5, 2009



My favorite season in Chicago is almost here: outdoor Farmers Market season! I love to wine and dine out as much as anyone but, getting to the source and seeing produce fresh from the farm? Inspirational. For me that beats a plated dish anyday (ok, almost)...Farmers Market season is mood altering for me....mopey and sad when the season ends....and beyond giddy when the season starts in May.

I love to cook. More precisely, cooking when inspired by visits to the Farmers Market. I can barely sleep on Friday evenings (yes, I go to the a Saturday morning market, bright and early) just waiting to get up and go to the Farmers Market for the first pick of farm fresh produce. Everything beautifully displayed by the farmers that grew them - gorgeous.

So as someone who prefers to get your meals served to you, and not from your kitchen, you are asking, “why the heck would I go to the Farmers Market?” Let me tell you...for the opportunity to experience what fresh picked produce actually tastes like. So many things to enjoy without having to turn on the stove or the oven - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, apples and a tomato that wasn’t grown in a hothouse. Ah, but I digress...if nothing else go to spy your favorite chef shopping for the meal you have a reservation for.

We can’t always dine out. We still want to eat healthy and delicious food. And we want to eat ‘green’. Come join me every week as I find inspiration at the Chicago area Farmers Markets: meeting the farmers, sharing my finds and tasty executable recipes.

The Green City Market kicks off the outdoor Chicago Farmers Market season this Wed, May 6th (http://www.chicagogreencitymarket.org).

See you at the Market!

Moira

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2 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
This is cool! Maybe you could come out to the Mt Prospect farmers market sometime. We are going to be there with Votre Vu! I'll let you know when I'm there. Can't wait to see your next update!
Alyson
May 6, 2009 1:45 PM  
Blogger FairOne said...
Absolutely agree! Summer produce at a Farmer's Market is so vastly different from the vegetables you find in a grocery store. One of the best Farmer's Markets I ever visited was the one around Capitol Square because it is the essence of the whole hippy/granola/birkenstock experience!
May 6, 2009 2:20 PM  

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