Kitchen favorites: Rhubarb

I'm not all about hating ingredients. In fact, there's many I truly love, so I wanted to give them their due. I plan on writing about one or two each week -- hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

First up is a classic spring fruit. For as long as I can remember, rhubarb has been one of my favorites. I've learned lots about it from my mother, who is a much better gardener than I am. First off, the leaves are poisonous, so discard them. Second, there's tons of varieties. My mom's favorites are the ones that are thinner, with bright red skins and pulp. I agree with her about this. Those that are green tend to be more sour, while the red ones are sweeter. In addition, the bigger stalks tend to be less tender. Just don't ask me about the variety -- you'd have to go to the source herself.

Rhubarb can be used in many ways, primarily in desserts and sauces. I've seen it in more recipes in recent years, even as a savory ingredient. However, like cilantro, it's often a divisive ingredient. In fact, I am the only one at my house who really likes rhubarb. But I'm including a recipe that even my rhubarb-reluctant husband and daughter will eat.

This recipe is from my mother, who got it from an old church cookbook from North Dakota.

Rhubarb muffins

Muffins:
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 cup milk, with 1 tbsp. lemon juice mixed in
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups rhubarb
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Topping:
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, oil, vanilla, egg and milk mixture in a large bowl. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder. Gently fold in rhubarb and nuts. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Mix topping and scatter over muffins, pressing lightly into batter before baking. Bake for 20 minutes.

Cook's notes: I've used buttermilk in place of the milk and lemon juice mixture. The muffins turned out great! I also usually cut down on the amount of oil, adding only 2 tbsp. and adding a splash more milk for moisture. The results are delicious -- and a lot healthier!