Recipe: Main Dish Recipes Using Rhubarb (4) for Leanne

Pork and Rhubarb Ragout

500.00 g boneless stewing pork
125.00 mL chopped onion
15.00 mL oil
500.00 mL carrots, cut in julienne strips
375.00 mL rhubarb, cut in 2 cm pieces
125.00 mL water
50.00 mL sugar
25.00 mL lemon juice
25.00 mL chopped fresh parsley OR 10 mL dried
1.00 mL cinnamon
1.00 mL nutmeg
1.00 mL salt
0.50 mL freshly ground pepper

Brown pork with onion in oil. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 h, stirring often. Serve over noodles and sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired. Makes 4 servings (250 mL each).
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Pork With Rhubarb Sauce

3 lb Pork loin center rib roast (8 ribs)
1/4 ts Salt
1/4 ts Pepper; coarsely ground
1/2 lb Rhubarb, fresh; chopped (2 cups)
1/4 c Apple juice concentrate; thawed
2 T Honey
Nutmeg, ground
2 T Water
1 ts Cornstarch

Have the butcher loosen the pork roast backbone, if possible, for easier carving. Rub the roast with salt and pepper. Place bone side down in a small, shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the roast; make sure bulb doesn't touch bone, fat, or the pan. Roast, uncovered, at 325 F. until the thermometer reads 150 F., about 75 to 90 minutes.

For the sauce, in a medium saucepan stir together the rhubarb, apple juice concentrate, honey, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat, cover, and simmer ten minutes or until the rhubarb is very tender. Mix the water and cornstarch; stir into the rhubarb mixture. Cook and stir until the sauce is thickened and bubbly. Continue cooking for two minutes more.

When the meat thermometer registers 150 F., spoon some of the sauce over the roast. Continue roasting until the thermometer reads 170 F., about 30 to 45 minutes more. Spoon on additional sauce occasionally. Let the roast stand 15 minutes before carving. Heat any remaining sauce and pass with the roast.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: Prepare and roast the pork as directed. For the sauce, in a 1 1/2-quart microwave casserole cook the rhubarb, apple juice concentrate, honey and nutmeg, covered, on HIGH until the rhubarb is very tender, about five to seven minutes. Mix the water and cornstarch; stir into the rhubarb mixture. Cook, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and bubbly, about one to two minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Continue cooking for one minute more. Spoon over the roast as directed and pass the remainder with the roast.
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Chicken Smothered In Rhubarb

3 1/2 pound chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces
Essence
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, julienned
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
Fresh thyme sprigs
1 cup white wine
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Garnish: 2 cups cooked white rice, warm, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

In a mixing bowl, toss the chickens with Essence and flour. In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, brown the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Add the rhubarb and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Stirring constantly, wilt and brown the onions, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any brown particles, for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs and wine, cover and reduce the heat. Stir occasionally and cook for about 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Stir in the parsley. Arrange the chicken on a platter and garnish with Essence (Emeril's) and parsley and serve with rice.
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Baked Chicken And Rhubarb

3 lb. chicken breasts and thighs or 1 whole chicken cut up
2 c. diced rhubarb (1/2-inch pieces)
1/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. water
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
rice for serving

Combine cornstarch, sugar, rhubarb and water in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Cook until clear and thickened, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice. Cool.

Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Brush with butter and sprinkle with salt. Bake uncovered in 375 degrees oven for 30 minutes. Spoon rhubarb sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with spices. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes longer. Serve immediately with sauce spooned over chicken. Serve with hot cooked rice. Yields 4 to 6 servings.