Rhubarb Revisted...

Guess what - (on again about last few posts on rhubarb...) strawberries are high in oxalates too -- but amazingly... hazelnuts are a good source of calcium, second only to almonds... so enjoy a slice of balance : )

My mom emailed me three variations of her infamous tart. I imagine her pulling the hand scrawled papers and yellowed newspaper clippings from her blue rubber banded bible... "The McCormick's Spice Islands Cookbook".

Deciphering which one was "Mom's original strawberry rhubarb hazelnut flan" was mostly based on the degree of strawberry staining they'd each accumulated. In the end, we decided that it was likely a hybrid of them all - as she, as most great cooks, took the best elements from each recipe, and combined them into perfection. Here is a hybrid that incorporates all the elements I remember- however, I have not tested it yet...

Strawberry-Rhubarb Flan with Crisp Hazelnut Crust

Pastry
1/2 cup Hazelnuts, toasted
3 tbsp Sugar (for a less refined version try Sucanat or Rapadura)
1 1/4 cups All-purpose flour (try replacing half with whole wheat or spelt pastry flour)
1/2 tsp Salt
6 tbsp Chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 Large egg, beaten

Filling
3 cups Rhubarb, chopped (in 1/2 inch pieces)
1 cup Sugar (or Sucanat or Rapadura)
2 tbsp Cornstarch
2 tbsp Melted butter
2 cups Fresh strawberries
1/4 cups Apricot or red currant jelly

Pastry:
In a food processor, pulse toasted hazelnuts and sugar until nuts are finely ground.
Add flour and salt, process until well combined. Transfer to large bowl.

Using fingertips, work butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in egg with a fork. Do not over work - mixture should be crumbly.

Press into 10 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate for 30 min.
Prick bottom and sides with a fork. Line with foil and fill with dried beans.
Bake at 350 f (180c) for 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans.

Bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden. Place on rack to cool completely.

Filling:
Combine rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Spoon into pie shell and spread out evenly.

Bake in lower half of oven at 425F for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven to 350F and bake for about 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and rhubarb is tender.

Let cool thoroughly at room temperature.

Hull strawberries, cut in half and arrange, cut side down on top of cooled pie. Melt jelly in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and brush over strawberries to glaze. Let cool thoroughly before serving.


Recipe, with love added by Carol Bathgate

Rhubarb: How I became a Fear Monger

I wrote about rhubarb and its high oxalic acid content last week. Even though I tried to keep to my views on balance and moderation, something felt off for me after writing that post. It came to me loud and clear today with the realization:

I have developed a slight fear of rhubarb.

My week's grocery money was getting pretty low and again I remembered the backyard supply of rhubarb just waiting to be my breakfast addition. But a pang of concern halted my free-rhubarb elation:

Oxalic acid.

I had no idea that the startling tang of rhubarb came from these compounds prior to that post. In fact, before coming to Bastyr University I had no idea what oxalic acid was.

Until last week, my connection with rhubarb was via my mom's amazing strawberry rhubarb flan with the light, crisp hazelnut crust (the hazelnuts from our back yard tree cracked during my many hours of TV watching). The strawberries were left fresh and layered over the golden baked, sweetened rhubarb filled crust; then glazed with molten sunshine (or melted apricot jelly). You can't ask for a more perfect balance of tart, sweet, soft and crisp.

The thought of fresh rhubarb with its cheek sucking tartness has always made my saliva glands hurt in a good way. Taste, not health consequences, have guided my rhubarb eating decisions.

But now I was deciding based on fear, and in my experience, fear is not a good place to make decisions from.

Would I be less healthy if I didn't know what oxalic acid was? Would I eat mountains of rhubarb, make chutneys from it to slather on all my meals, pickle it as a side dish, add it to my pilafs and down sweetened bowls of it for dessert? Would I bind every molecule of calcium I consumed and end up with rhubarb-induced osteoporosis? I highly doubt it.

I guess there may be some importance in knowing that rhubarb has that mineral binding potential... but really I think it would give me, or anyone else, a wicked stomach ache long before it was a problem, and more so who wouldn't very quickly grow sick of eating rhubarb after more than a serving or two...? It's not exactly Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Coconut Bliss...

I think that what's more important than knowing about the exact content of each food product we eat, is learning how to select and prepare a wide variety of whole foods. Again it's the "little bit of this, little bit of that" approach.

A little more learning might go into exploring how you feel when you eat those foods and maybe what you're body is asking for now, today.

I have written about the known benefits of certain foods every now and then in this blog - in my attempt to create some interest in eating whole foods. But, really the foods speak for themselves, and pleasure and enjoyment are a more sustainable approach in my opinion than a fear-based attempt to gain control over health - so... I'll consider this a nudge to myself to include more recipes and tips on how to enjoy whole foods!

And the email is already out to my mom for her Strawberry Rhubarb Flan recipe - it just so happens to be strawberry, (and rhubarb) season.

The Piglet

Yesterday I pulled the last 3 crumbled bills from my pocket and I bought one precious Porcini mushroom. I couldn't resist the King of Mushrooms - or "the piglet" as the Italians so affectionately call it. What a great name. I cooked the sizable beauty tonight and as I sat on my front steps, the evening soft on my bare arms, I was fully present and ready for that first mouthful. At $2.50 for my locally, wild-foraged fungus, I decided it was to be enjoyed accordingly.

Deep breath and first bite.... meaty, savoury, woody, earthy, slightly nutty with a creamy ever so slightly chewy texture... and a whole lot more than my vocabulary stores can articulate (I'm collecting though!). How similar it was to the distinctive savoury flavour of meat... and there is a reason for that. Like meat, mushrooms contain glutamic acid. This term might sound familiar if you know what the acronym MSG stands for: mono-sodium glutamate. That's right - mushrooms (and also tomatoes and seaweed) are sources of this natural flavour enhancer. In this form and in these naturally occurring amounts, their action spells culinary magic rather than trouble for the MSG sensitive - so you can set aside the flash backs to flushed faces, wheezing lungs or headaches from your last visit to Happiness Imperial Gardens... (I'll resist the temptation to go on about the obvious effects of isolating natural compounds and taking them in unnatural amounts...).

Glutamic acid is sensed by our 5th flavour receptor- umami. Yes our tongues have 5 taste receptors... sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. Umami is more of a unifier than a "taste"- it amplifies and synergizes the flavor of the rest. It is what you might call "savoury". It is what I call delicious.

Not only do mushrooms have the ability to pump up the flavour in your kitchen creations - they have similar beefing effects on your immune system. The most studied for these immune modulating and anti-cancer effects are Maitake, Shitake and Reishi mushrooms but even the 3 most common supermarket varieties - the lowly button mushroom, Crimini and it's older sibling Portabello - have these polysaccharides (i.e. carbohydrates - poly = many/ saccharides = sugars) and beta-glucans (a soluble fiber made of medium chained polysaccharides that are indigestible by humans). These compounds have the incredible ability to modulate the immune system by activating it without the risk of over-stimulation (which is not a good idea in people with allergies or auto-immune diseases). They can increase production of white blood cells and then activate them, especially the "Natural Killer Cells" and "Cytotoxic T Cells" - two kinds of white blood cell that can attack tumor cells directly. Imagine that.

I love mushrooms, so I don't need much encouragement to eat them, but it helps my wallet to know they have potent anti-cancer and immune boosting properties that equal an excellent long-term health investment. That definitely encourages me to indulge a little more often.

Backyard Free Eats...

Sand on my boots and a nice almost-tan, I got home last night from a super fun birthday weekend on BC's Sunshine Coast with my good friend Justin (or e-noodle as I have named him for his dancing abilities) and his motorcycle - 'Click Click Bang'. I am definitely relaxed and content at getting another year to explore.

Looking in the fridge I found half a golden beet, some olives and a shriveled pack of what was once parsley (I think?). This reminded me first that I need to get some groceries and second that I was pretty much completely skinned after our little trip. Hm... luckily I have plenty of beans in the cupboard and various grains too, so something will fill my belly. I also remembered I had some parsley in a little pot outside, which likely needed attention and could be a nice addition to my meal.

The sensation of cool grass on bare feet for the first time this year cracked me a grin almost as wide as did looking up at that riotous blue sky from the back of Click Click Bang. That's when I spotted something purple and green growing in the corner of our backyard.

A taste confirmed my suspicions: mustard greens. Obviously some previous tenant had sown some seeds which decided to return the favor. I gathered up enough for a meal or two and feeling inspired by that teetering on the edge of summer feeling, turned to head inside, but was stopped again by the sight of a second prize, rhubarb: the unmistakable umbrella leaves nearly hiding ruby red stalks. I twisted off a few for my morning meal and headed inside. (I learned recently that you shouldn't cut rhubarb, but rather twist if off at the base to keep the plant happy & producing).

My roommate Jess was definitely surprised to see me returning from an excursion into our dingy little, weed covered, back yard that screams "RENTAL HOUSE!" with an armful of edible produce. So was I. All I could think was - wow - this is all free!

I know what I'm having for breakfast and dinner...


Breakfast: Creamy Nutmeg-Date Amaranth with Stewed Rhubarb

Amaranth
1/2 cup amaranth grain, rinsed
1 cup water
6 dates, pitted and chopped
cinnamon and nutmeg

Place the amaranth, water and salt together in a pot. (Starting with cold water makes the amaranth more creamy and thick). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 or 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After about 10 minutes, add the chopped dates and stir to combine. Continue to cook.

Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon and grated fresh nutmeg, a dollop of stewed rhubarb (below) and perhaps some milk, yogurt, hemp milk or soy yogurt.


Stewed Rhubarb
rhubarb - washed and cut into 1/2 or 1 inch chunks
splash of juice or water
a pot
maple syrup or other sweetener

Place rhubarb and juice in the pot and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until the rhubarb softens and falls apart. Add sweetener to taste - I love maple syrup and a little bit of vanilla with rhubarb.

Eat it as is, with yogurt, on hot cereal, ice cream, toast, whatever you like.

Rhubarb is very high in oxalic acid and tannins (that's what makes your mouth pucker), which can bind calcium so that we can't absorb it as readily, so it's not something I'd want to eat with every meal. However, it does makes sense to eat it with dairy or amaranth - both very rich sources of calcium. Rhubarb has health benefits too - it is supportive to the liver and packed with vitamin A, C, and potassium. Hm... a little bit of this, a little bit of that sound familiar?


Dinner: Garlic Sauteed Mustard Greens
The first time I tried cooked mustard greens I was enormously surprised and pleased! Cooking mellows out the spicy bite that was always a little too much for even my adventuresome palate.

Olive oil
Garlic, peeled and minced
A bunch of Mustard Greens

Heat the olive oil in a cast iron fry pan or whatever you have over medium heat. Add the garlic (I used one super potent organic Red Russian garlic clove) and allow it to cook until softened. Add the greens, moving them around to distribute the garlic. Cook until they just wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve as a side dish with some whole grains and some beans or a meat dish. I piled mine high beside a homemade spicy blackeyed pea and walnut burger from my freezer stash, slathered thick with horseradish mustard and ketchup (I'm a sucker for M&K), and some brown rice laced with sesame seeds.

These mustard greens are nutrient dense and full of potent anti-cancer compounds. They are excellent sources of anti-oxidants (carotenes, vitamin C, vitamin E), folic acid, manganese, copper, vitamin B6 and calcium. They are also a good source of phosphorus, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), potassium, magnesium and protein, vitamin B1 (thiamin) and iron. Whew! They'll do nicely to balance my rhubarb breakfast.