On Rhubarb From The Market

Feat. Tomato Salad With Pickled Rhubarb

To all of our great surprise, winter has left us overnight, and we have been catapulted into a very bright, very hot London spring. I’m not complaining, far from it. In my opinion, it is this time of year that brings us the most interesting and exciting of produce. The ones harboring a color palette of yellows and pinks begging to be the subject of a Hockney painting

It’s good that these pick-me fruits and vegetables are out at this time because it’s just the weather for us pick-me people to “stumble” upon a produce stand and feel inclined to purchase rhubarb from the really nice old man who takes card.

So you come home with impulse-bought rhubarb. What do you do now? A common predicament, I know, and one I found myself in just the other day. I’m not much of a sweet tooth these days, so the classic rhubarb puddings didn’t make much sense to me. So, in an effort to make me all the more insufferable, I pickled it.

There are several positives to this approach:

1. Pickling is one of the easiest things you could do and a surefire way to make yourself seem a lot cooler when someone's looking through your fridge.

2. The product lasts in said fridge for ages, so you can forget about it until you're suddenly interested in pickles again in three months.

3. The brine makes for a great dressing.

4. Pickled rhubarb, I’ve found, tastes very good.

So now you’re left with pickled rhubarb. What do you do now? Funnily enough, I found myself in this exact predicament just the other day. Back to the produce stand, walking around in my sun dress, picking out all the prettiest, most colorful tomatoes I could find. What goes well with tomatoes? Herbs, burrata, avocado - you get me.

Return home; there is literally no chance that this is going to be bad. But what was a trust-the-process experiment turned into a this-is-the-best-recipe-I’ve-ever-written scenario.

So effortlessly cool is the pickled rhubarb, and so refreshingly memorable is the tomato salad. I’m really proud of this one. Definitely going in the cookbook.

Tomato salad with pickled rhubarb

Ingredients

• Pickled rhubarb

  • Rhubarb

  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar

  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar

  • ¼ cup sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • Chili flakes

  • Heavy hand of salt

• Tomatoes in all colors (they must be really good quality… go out and find them!!)

• Basil

• Chives

• Mint

• Avocado

• Lemon zest

• Stracciatella

Directions

• Pickle the rhubarb

  • In a pot over low/medium heat, heat all ingredients (bar rhubarb) until the sugar is fully dissolved

  • Cut up the rhubarb into desired pieces

  • Pour the brine over the rhubarb

  • Leave out to cool, then place in the fridge. It’ll keep for a few months

• Cut the tomatoes in all shapes and sizes and transfer to a bowl

• Add in all the chopped herbs, cubed avocado, flaky salt, pepper, and some brine from the rhubarb.

• Toss, mixing well to combine.

• Plate the salad in a very pretty way, showing off all the colors and picking out any gross-looking greens.

• Dollop on straccietalla.

• Place rhubarb pieces around.

• Finish by grating a healthy dose of lemon zest, some more brine, salt, pepper, and thinly chopped chives.

• Summer on a plate.