After a very cold start to the winter, which saw everything covered in snow for the better part of December, we have been having rather warm, wet weather for most of February, and the spring plants are making up for lost time. In our front garden, the daffodils are just about ready to bloom, and in the back garden the rhubarb is growing.
Most years, although the rhubarb starts coming back up around Christmas, I figure it doesn't really get big enough to eat until around Easter. This year, Easter is late, and the rhubarb seems early - although none of the stalks that have come up are full-sized yet, if we picked the small stalks we have now it would probably be enough for a small rhubarb crumble.
The appearance of the rhubarb leads me to reflect on my favorite rhubarb recipes, so here is a list of my top 10.
1. Stewed Rhubarb and Ginger, from The English Country Cooking Diary 1988 by Maxine Clark.
2. Lamb and Rhubarb Stew, from The Legendary Cuisine of Persia by Margaret Shaida.
3. Upside-down Rhubarb and Ginger Cake - from Rachel's Favourite Food at Home by Rachel Allen. (See the recipe here on the UKTV Good Food Channel website.)
4. Rhubarb Ice Cream, from Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends by Rachel Allen.
5. Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble, from Bake by Rachel Allen.
6. Rhubarb Sponge, from Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends by Rachel Allen.
7. Rhubarb Chutney, from The Guardian Weekend, March 2, 1996 by Rowley Leigh.
8. Rhubarb and Date Tart, from The Archers' Country Cookbook by Martha Woodford.
9. Rhubarb Crumble, from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course.
10. Rhubarb Fool, from The Cookery of England by Elisabeth Ayrton.
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