Rhubarb: It's Just Good Stuff

My lovely friend Gretchen has a treasure trove of rhubarb growing in her backyard so she brought me some stalks a few days ago in order to share the rhubarb wealth. This odd fruit brings back memories of childhood days swinging on old metal swing sets with the neighborhood gang; breaking off stalks of rhubarb to chew, our mouths puckering as we giggled our way back to the swings again. There is something about that red and green, sour taste that draws me back even today.

The memories of my childhood have been sustained over the years by the sweet-sour taste of my wonderful mother-in-law's strawberry-rhubarb pies. In the summer when we'd make the long trek to Maine her kitchen would simply ooze the fragrance of cooked rhubarb and freshly made cookies. She was always prepared for the onslaught of hungry children and grandchildren. My son would gobble down masses of rhubarb freezer jelly. Sometimes Grammie and he would have to make up another batch together.

Over the years I have baked my fair share of strawberry-rhubarb pies. They are always a delight served warm with melting-too-quickly vanilla ice cream.

Alas, at the moment I am trying to avoid foods containing flour in order to control my migraine headaches. But, what is summer without strawberry-rhubarb. Here is a recipe I devised in order to have the flavor of the pie without the agony of the headache. It met with rave reviews from several rapidly growing teens as well as my husband. Enjoy:

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

About 7 stalks of rhubarb, chopped
1 large bag frozen strawberries, unsweetened
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup water

Chop the rhubarb and place in a large saucepan with enough water so that all the rhubarb floats. Add the sugar and cook over medium heat until the rhubarb dissolves into threads. Add the strawberries. Cover and cook until the strawberries begin to break down. You want the sauce to have some texture but not contain whole berries. Turn the heat to low and add the cornstarch/water mixture. Stir and cook until thickened. Cool slightly and serve over vanilla ice cream. You'd swear you were eating pie a-la-mode!

Chop and bag up your rhubarb for the freezer while it is in season, then you can have this awesome flavor memory throughout the year.