Rhubarb’s been a bright
attraction at farmers’ market tables the past few weekends while many home
gardeners are trying to unload some of the perennial’s abundant harvest. Unlike
the prolific zucchini though, there’s only so much rhubarb one can eat. Perhaps
it’s the puckering tartness that challenges our wince limit, or that we’ve just
grown tired of the typical, sugar-laden rhubarb baked good. Inevitably though,
to make rhubarb more palatable, most recipes call for adding equal parts of
sugar.
Yet paired with sweet
Vidalia onions, rhubarb offers a naturally pleasing, mellow flavor. This recipe
for Braised Onions, Rhubarb, &
Sausage is very
easy and truly delicious.
It’s also versatile as you can serve it for a hearty breakfast with whole grain
pancakes, or as an entrée accompanied by steamed asparagus and crusty bread for
sopping up the vegetable juices. Yes, rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but
since it’s been “sugarified” for dessert for so long, most mistakenly classify
it as a fruit.
No matter –– rhubarb is a bountiful, inexpensive, and even
nutritious plant, that’s high in fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. Just don’t
eat the leaves as they are toxic if consumed in large amounts. Choose firm
stalks of rhubarb as if selecting crisp celery. Rhubarb will vary in color from
mostly red to mostly green due to the variety, but its sour flavor is virtually
the same.
A mandolin helps in slicing
the onions very thin, but is not required. Both onions and rhubarb have a very high
water content, that when braised together create a well-balanced relish to complement
the spice and saltiness of the sausage. Excess rhubarb can be simply cut up,
packaged, and frozen for use in fall or winter when the yearn for a taste of
spring arises.
Braised
Onions, Rhubarb, & Sausage
2-4 large stalks of fresh
Rhubarb
2 medium-large sweet Vidalia
or Cippoline onions
2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ tsp ground Sea Salt
2 T. Pure Maple Syrup,
preferably Dark or Grade B
5 large uncooked Fresh
Sausage (I used Brookford Farm pork sausage –– pastured and woodland
whey fed, skim milk supplemented http://brookfordfarm.com/)
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Slice onions very thin,
preferably with mandolin
Slice rhubarb thin on the
bias.
Toss onions and rhubarb
together with olive oil, salt, and maple syrup.
Place vegetable mixture on
bottom of large ovenproof casserole that has a lid.
Lay sausage on top of
vegetable mix.
Bake covered for 30 minutes.
Uncover casserole and raise
oven temperature to 400°F .
Bake for another 30 minutes
or until sausages are browned.
This recipe was developed by Barbara Freeman, a talented
architect and excellent home cook from Newbury, NH. I originally published it
in the Spring 2010 issue of New Hampshire’s Edible magazine (no longer in
circulation).
