Rhubarb Rhubarb!! Ruibarbo Ruibarbo!! Sorbet Recipe Included

A couple of years ago my mum sent me a photo of two little plants, asking me if either Pep or I recognised them. She’d managed to buy them from someone who was selling small plants on a stall.

I had absolutely no idea what they were, Pep wondered if they were some kind of winter squash but didn’t think they could be. After a while of keeping us guessing she told me. They were rhubarb plants! Pep had never heard of it. I obviously had but the only recollection of the actual plant I had was when I was a kid in England and a friend of mine and I used to pick it from her garden and chew on the incredibly sour sticks. We used to love it but hate it at the same time, I’m surprised it didn’t make us rush to the loo!

So, without further ado we found a nice spot and planted the little rhubarb plants in our “huerta”. I really didn’t think they would grow, I presumed they were more suitable to cooler climes although mum did say that she knew of people who had grown it successfully in this area. It was worth a try anyway.

Having absolutely no idea about the plants I had a quick look on the internet to see what information I could find about growing rhubarb. I noticed that there were two types, forced and naturally grown, the former being more pink in colour and supposedly being sweeter, more tender and less stringy. Even so, I thought we’d just try to grow it naturally and see what happened, I didn’t want to make it too complicated, I’d got too many other things to do!

We made sure the plants had enough water, they got their very own emitter when the irrigation system was set up. They started to grow and grow and grow and grow… Adam and Eve should have planted rhubarb, I had never seen such big leaves, they’re much much bigger than fig leaves. And underneath all those humongous leaves, rhubarb stalks. Some more pink than others but they all looked nice and healthy. I had read that you shouldn’t harvest the rhubarb for the first couple of years but I couldn’t wait, I was desperate for rhubarb crumble!

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I have also recently read that you should pick the rhubarb in the springtime when the stalks are young and tender but continually harvesting throughout the growing season will stress the plants too much and cause thinner stalks the following year. I must admit, I thought I’d killed my plants off last year, I picked nearly all the stalks throughout the summer and, come winter, all I could see in the ground was a little black stump. Fortunately they’ve come up well but I shall go easy on them this year. Occasionally picking in the summer is ok, just not all the time.

But we’re still in the springtime so I’m ok at the moment! I picked about 1.2 kilos yesterday. Rhubarb freezes pretty well so half went in the freezer, all chopped up in a bag, ready for use in the not too distant future. The other half I used in the recipe I’m about to share with you.

I’m a huge fan of homemade sorbet, especially in the summer. Nothing seems to cool me down more than a nice big bowl of it. I love ice cream too, no doubt I’ll be sharing a recipe or two on here soon (vegan, of course) but when it gets really hot only sorbet will hit the spot (sorry, I didn’t mean for it to rhyme, it just happened). This is my all time favourite sorbet (dark chocolate comes in second). It’s soooooo creamy you’d almost think it was ice cream and the taste is just amazing. It’s incredibly refreshing and has a real zing to it. I have to be careful I don’t eat the whole lot when it’s ready, then I would be rushing to the loo!!

Right, I’ll stop rambling. On with the recipe. Chop the rhubarb into 1 inch pieces more or less. Place in a saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice and water and cook over a low to medium heat until the rhubarb is cooked, about 15-20 minutes.

Allow it to cool then transfer to a blender. Whizz in the blender until it is completely smooth and has become paler in colour.

Place in the fridge until it’s very cold. Now, I use an ice cream maker for this recipe. I’ve never tried to do it without one but I’m sure it should work out fine if you don’t have one. This is what I’d do if you don’t have an ice cream maker: Put the mix in a tub or tupperware container, transfer it to the freezer then after 40 minutes take it out and give it a good stir with a fork. Keep repeating this process until the sorbet has hardened up considerably and you’ve got a nice creamy texture. If you do have an ice cream maker then add the rhubarb mixture and freeze as you would any ice cream or sorbet. Once it’s ready either serve straight away or allow to harden up for 20-30 minutes in the freezer. I like it straight out of the ice cream maker, it’s silky smooth and I’m too impatient!

The other good thing about this sorbet is Pep doesn’t like it too much, he’s not too keen on tart flavours and only eats it if I haven’t made anything else. If you like rhubarb though you’ll love this. In fact, I rarely use rhubarb for anything else now, especially this time of year, it would seem a waste!!

On another note, yesterday we picked our first two cherry tomatoes of the year!!!!! No doubt we’ll soon be inundated with them. Roll on summer.

Right, I’ll be off now. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions please don’t hesitate to get in touch. See you soon, love Georgie and Pep xxx

Rhubarb Sorbet

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Freezing time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten free, Vegan

Ingredients

  

• 600 grams Rhubarb chopped into one inch pieces
• 240 grams Raw cane sugar
• Juice of one lemon
• 180 ml water

Instructions

 

• Add all ingredients to saucepan and cook over low heat until rhubarb is cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool
• Transfer to a blender and blend until it's completely smooth and is paler in colour
• Place in the fridge to cool completely
• Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to firm up
• If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour mixture into an airtight container and place in the freezer. After 40 minutes remove from the freezer and give it a good stir with a fork. Repeat this process a few times until the mixture has hardened considerably. Serve