Macheesmo

A few weekends ago we took a much needed trip up north to visit my family in Wyoming. It was a long drive for a short trip, but luckily everything went great. One of the highlights of visiting my dad is always seeing what kinds of stuff he is growing in what is essentially a high-altitude dessert.

It’s amazing actually how great he is at growing things in a brutal climate that only has a few months of the year that you could call a growing season.

This year the highlight was RHUBARB. He had a few big plants already that needed a trimming. We took a big knife and trimmed off the bright red stalks and cut off the poisonous leaves (yep!). I ended up taking a trash bag full of beautiful stalks home with me and only later dealt with the question of what to make with them (besides pie of course).

I wanted to make something savory with some of the rhubarb and this quick rhubarb chutney was the result. Tangy, fresh, slightly sweet, and the perfect topper for almost any grilled protein. It’s specifically great on pork or chicken though!

Quick Rhubarb Chutney

by Nick

Serves:

Makes about 2 cups

Prep Time:

5 mins

Total Time:

20 mins

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A perfect savory use for in-season rhubarb. Sweet and tangy and perfect over any grilled meat. Make some this summer!

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

4 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced thin

1/2 cup dried cherries

Pinch of salt

Instructions

1) Combine all ingredients except rhubarb and cherries in a medium pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Make sure sugar is mostly dissolved.

2) Add rhubarb and cherries, turn heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chutney is done with rhubarb has started to break down and mixture is nice and thick. Season chutney with a pinch of salt and serve over grilled items.

Quick Rhubarb Chutney

First, rhubarb. You’ll need to find some. It’s a pretty seasonal ingredient but we are definitely in the season for it so you should be able to find some beautiful stalks of it in stores or farmer’s markets near you.

I love the Christmas-like color of fresh rhubarb. It can be a bit bitter on its own though which is why it goes well with sweet recipes. It’s a nice balance.

For this chutney, slice the rhubarb into fairly thin slices. You’ll need 4-5 stalks of it to get to 4 cups of sliced rhubarb.

Start the rhubarb by adding the vinegar, sugar, and spices to a medium pot. Basically just heat these together and get the sugar dissolved before adding the rhubarb and stuff.

Once the mixture is simmering, add in the rhubarb and dried cherries. I just love the color on this. Your house will start smelling good right about now.

Cover this and let it simmer of medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until the rhubarb starts to break down. Stir it occasionally and remove it from the heat before the rhubarb turns completely to mush. There should be some chunks in it still.

At this point, season the chutney with a pinch of salt and it’s ready to go! You can serve it warm or let it cool and store it in the fridge and serve it any time.

What To Put It On?

Your options here are many. Basically any grilled or seared meat would go great with it. Personally, I tried it out on a pan-seared pork chop.

It’s also great on toast with a little butter if you want a breakfast serving option.

But basically: PORK. It’s made for grilled or pan-seared pork!

Find some fresh rhubarb and make a delicious dinner!