Rhubarb Pie and all you wanted to know about rhubarb

Rhubarb Pie

For the pastry

300g plain flour

25g icing sugar

Pinch of salt

150g unsalted butter

Cold water

Seive the flour, icing sugar and salt into a large bowl.  Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture.  Using your fingertips, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add enough cold water to make a firm dough.  Wrap the dough in clingfilm and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes.


For the filling

1 kg rhubarb, trimmed and chopped
Juice and zest of 1 orange
150g granulated sugar

Put the rhubarb, sugar, orange juice and zest into a saucepan, heat gently to release the juices then simmer for 5 minutes until tender.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry, reserve 1/4 of the dough for the lid and line a 20cm flan tin with the remaining pastry.  Put in the filling and place the lid over the top, press the edges to seal then using a knife cut a couple of slits in the middle to let the steam escape.  Brush the top of the pie with a little milk and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with custard or double cream, or for a treat serve with custard and double cream.

Many thanks  to http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/  for the 'all you need to know about rhubarb' info.

The outlandishly coloured vegetable that thinks it's a fruit. Rhubarb makes deliciously comforting puddings but its sharpness works extremely well with meat and oily fish dishes.

Forced rhubarb (grown in the dark) has yellowish leaves and usually appears in January. The field-grown variety replaces it around April and is less tender but often more flavourful.

HISTORY

Rhubarb was used as a medicine in ancient China. It was brought to Europe by Marco Polo and has been eaten as a food since the eighteenth century.

BIOLOGY

Rhubarb is a member of the family Polygonaceae and is related to sorrel. It grows best in cool climates and the effect of forcing was discovered by accident at the Chelsea Physic Garden early in the 19th century.

NUTRITION

Rhubarb is a good source of fibre and contains moderate levels of vitamin C and calcium. Studies have linked the fibre from rhubarb in the diet with reduced cholesterol levels.

TIPS

BUYING
Choose crisp, firm, plump stalks with good colour.

STORING
Kept in the fridge, fresh rhubarb will stay in reasonable condition for 1-2 weeks. Raw and cooked rhubarb freeze well.

PREPARING
Wash and trim both ends of the stalks, and discard the poisonous leaves. Rhubarb, in particular the later field-grown variety, is very tart and requires considerable sweetening. As with other relatively acidic foods it is recommended that it is not cooked using aluminium pots.