How to Cook Fresh Rhubarb

Rhubarb, known to our grandparents as "pie plant," offers vitamin-rich, bright red stalks that can be cooked up into a tangy sauce. You can pick up rhubarb stalks in the grocery store produce aisle.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh rhubarb
• Water
• Non-aluminum saucepan
• Large package strawberry or raspberry-flavored instant gelatin dessert mix
• Glass bowl

Instructions

How to Cook Fresh Rhubarb

1. Wash rhubarb stalks; discard any leaves or tough, white ends. Green rhubarb stalks are slightly more tart, but still make a tasty sauce.

2. Chop 3-4 rhubarb stalks into thin slices. The cooked plant can be stringy, but starting with thin slices will prevent you from having long, stringy material in the finished sauce.

3. In non-aluminum saucepan, cover chopped rhubarb with water. Simmer several minutes, until rhubarb is completely soft and disintegrating.

4. Remove from heat and stir in a full package of gelatin dessert mix. Use sugar-free gelatin for a very low-carb dessert. Don't add additional water. Taste mixture; add sugar or sweetener (such as Splenda) if needed, but leave rhubarb sauce somewhat tart.

5. Pour mix into glass bowl and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour. Serve topped with whipped dairy or non-dairy topping, spoon over vanilla ice cream, or serve as a side dish with chicken or pork.

Tips & Warnings

• This recipe will make a rhubarb sauce. If you'd like your rhubarb dessert to be more firm, use less water or more gelatin mix.

• Store cut rhubarb stalks standing upright in a glass of water in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook them.

• Never, ever eat rhubarb leaves. They are poisonous.

• Don't use an aluminum saucepan; the acid in the rhubarb will react with the aluminum, ruining both the pan and the sauce.

• Rhubarb is high in fiber and can have a laxative effect on some people unaccustomed to high-fiber foods.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish