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How to stew rhubarb in five minutes

The easiest way to cook rhubarb in bulk.
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If you’ve got rhubarb growing in the garden, you’ll know that when it’s in season, it grows quickly.

Once picked, it doesn’t keep very well. So what do you do when you’ve made all the rhubarb pies, rhubarb tarts and rhubarb cakes you can handle?

Stewing rhubarb is a great way to use up all the remaining rhubarb and preserve it for another day. You can either cook it on the stove top, as this recipe suggests or try roasting rhubarb in the oven. 

How do you cook and prepare rhubarb?

The biggest thing to consider when you cook rhubarb is that while the stalks are perfectly safe to eat, the leaves are toxic to humans and animals. Although you would need to ingest a large amount, it’s best to steer clear. 

So, to safely prepare and cook your rhubarb, simply wash the stalks and trim and throw away the leaves. Next, cut the stalks into small pieces, aproximately 2.4 cm long. Now, you are ready to cook rhubarb.

Do you need to peel rhubarb before you cook it?

No, you do not need to peel rhubarb before cooking it. The skin of rhubarb stalks is edible, and it softens during cooking. Just make sure you wash the stalks before cooking them. 

how to cook rhubarb
(Credit: Getty) (Credit: Getty)

How to stew rhubarb

Preparation time: 5 mins plus 2 hours cooling

Cooking time: 5 mins

Makes 1 1/3 cups

Ingredients

  • 450g trimmed rhubarb, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup caster sugar

Method

Step 1

Put rhubarb, caster sugar and 1 Tbsp water in a medium saucepan and cook over a medium-low heat, covered with a lid for 5 minutes or until rhubarb is fall-apart tender. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Step 2

Serve warm or transfer to an airtight container. If serving cold, refrigerate for 2 hours or until cold. Keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.

rhubarb with leaves
(Credit: Getty) (Credit: Getty)

Rhubarb cooking tips

  • When choosing rhubarb, pick stalks that are firm and crisp, trimming off and discarding the leaves.
  • When chopping the rhubarb, make uniform pieces for even cooking.

To enhance the flavour of your stewed rhubarb, consider adding complementary ingredients:

  • Vanilla
  • Citrus (lemon, orange)
  • Ginger (fresh, ground or glacé)
  • Nuts (hazelnut, almond)
  • Berries (strawberry, raspberry)
  • Apples (sweet and juicy, such as pink lady)

You might also like to make Fast Ed’s rhubarb-berry donut pudding.

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