Preserving Rhubarb

A few weeks ago we made apple sauce in anticipation of wee Howard moving into solid food at some point.  Since we made 'chunky style' there was a large pile of peels and cores left over.  I searched the internets and found that you can make an apple flavoured pancake syrup or jelly from the peels - so we ended up with two products from one!  I guess this is old news to some, but I thought it was pretty nifty.  Next time we're making apple cider vinegar from the peels.

Last night I took the same approach to another project.

I'm a big fan of rhubarb in all its forms, but have been especially keen to try rhubarb juice for a while now.  I used the following recipe which can be found in numerous places on the web (originally from the 'Ball Blue Book', I've scaled it up based on the fact the original only makes a measly 3ish pints):

Rhubarb Sunshine Juice Concentrate

18 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1 inch pieces
6 cups water
2 lemons
1 large orange
2-1/4 cups sugar

Combine the rhubarb and water with the zest of the lemons and orange in a big pot.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is mush.  Line a colander with cheesecloth and place over a suitably large pot and strain the mush for 2 or 3 hours.  Add the sugar and juice from the lemons and orange to the pot and heat to 190 F but do not boil (I used a candy thermometer to check).  Place in clean pint jars (no need to sterilise) and process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.  For me it yielded just over 6 pints (there was about a quarter cup left over, which I used as you will see below).  To use, dilute 1:1 with whatever you want - water or ginger ale, etc..

So, what to do with the leftover rhubarb mush?  Well, I found this recipe from the Show Food Chef blog.  It appealed to me straight away as I was looking for a conserve rather than a jam as we eat a lot of home made yoghurt.  The difference is simply that you don't add pectin or boil it hard enough to make a firm spread.  The original recipe looks fantastic and no doubt is, but I needed to ad lib a bit here so apologies to Ms Shambley.  What I had to work with was a mush that had most of the colour and some of the flavour leached out of it.  I had two things going for me here though... first the mush did contain citrus zest and secondly the recipe does call of the addition of extra fruit.  I ended up with a delicious conserve with an earthy green colour, not as pretty as the original, but the flavour is fantastic!  The colour and texture are similar to chow, so I decided to call my version Breakfast Chow.  The recipe is also scaled to work with what I had left over from the Sunshine.

Breakfast Chow
(aka  Rhubarb-Pineapple-Coconut Conserve)

2 lb rhubarb mush (you'll probably have a few ounces more actually)
1-1/2 lb sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cans crushed pineapple (300-something mL ones or 15 oz)
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut

Put everything in a pot and bring to a boil, add the leftover sunshine and a bit of water to make it the right consistency.  I used the candy thermometer to see that it got up to 190 F.  If you want a firmer spread bring it to 225 and do the jam test thingy with the cold plate or however you do it.  Place in pint jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.  This yielded 5 and a bit pints.

So, all said, there were 6 pints of Sunhine and 5ish pints of conserve... all from one grocery bag of rhubarb! Pretty nifty.

eating out

Well, here's a tricky one...


The UK in general has a bit of a bad reputation in the food department and despite my generally large appetite and forgiving palate, I must say that reputation is probably deserved.  Sadly, Scotland, as a nation, may have an even worse reputation.

Quips about deep fried mars bars and 'the best chippy in Scotland' debate aside, I've decided to dedicate this post to just a few places I'll actually miss eating at and/or would tell visitors to check out.  So, in no particular order...

Kebab King
119 Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeen AB11 9LX
Make no mistake, this guy is actually Kebab royalty.  His take away shop is located in a (ahem) colourful neighbourhood near the prison in Aberdeen.  I believe the proprietor is originally from Turkey and does his country proud.  His chicken kebabs are made from marinated chicken cooked to order on a smoky grill.  Likewise his sauces are fantastic and portions are substantial.  Everyone I've taken here has been initially a bit sceptical of 'going out of the way' to get a kebab, but has been surprised once they've seen what is on offer.

Assam's
57 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 2AE
This is my favourite Indian place in Scotland.  The food is full of great texture and flavour, far beyond what you normally get in an 'average' Indian restaurant.  The naan bread is massive and the peshwari naan is the best I've ever had.  Typically I find peshwari naan to be sweet and gaudy, but Assam's version is beautifully executed.  Lastly, the spiced haddock starter may be the best Indian dish I have ever tasted.  Cooked and served in a simple foil wrap it never fails to amaze.

The But n' Ben
Auchmithie, Arbroath DD11 5SQ
Scotland has a terrible habit of not serving its own food.  There are few places where you can go to eat the kind of food a Scottish granny would make and the ones that do specialise in this type of food generally do it poorly and very self-consciously.  The But 'n Ben do this sort of thing perfectly and in a breathtaking location on top of the cliffs a few minutes drive from Arbroath.  You can get mince and tatties, cullen skink, clootie dumpling as well as some more modern twists on the local speciality - smoked haddock.

cities

The outside world (including most of England, I'm led to believe) imagines Scotland as a mystical wilderness full of beautiful serene glens and quietly grazing sheep.  Perhaps there's a highlander afar off playing the bagpipes?

To be fair, Scotland plc, is happy to promote this image and why not?  It sells a lot of shortbread.  However, for most people living in Scotland, this is not reality.  Twenty-first century Scots (as well as twentieth and nineteenth century ones) are mostly city dwellers.  The glens are lovely, but if you do venture out, you'll be more likely to see a German tourist or a middle-aged English hill walkers than an 'average' Scot.

So, what of these cities?

Well, as a Canadian, there are certain qualities possessed by all Scottish cities have that I find desirable.  Firstly, they are typically pedestrian/public transport friendly.  Despite having a very strong car culture, you are still able to get in and out of every city in Scotland quickest by train.  No worries about getting lost or stuck in traffic, once you get off the train you can relax and start enjoying the place.

Also, unlike Canada, Scotland has held on to its low-rise city scape.  There are tall buildings, but the distinctive nature of a city's architecture here is best appreciated up close rather than far away. 

So, these things being equal, I nominate Glasgow as my favourite city!

Aside from being the largest metropolitan area in the country by far, Glasgow is easily the friendliest and most vibrant of Scottish cities.  Yes, Edinburgh is charming, but beyond the looks it lacks something that Glasgow has.  As a post-industrial city, one can see how the great engineering works drew people to Glasgow from across Scotland and the world.  Coming out of a period of decline in the late 20th century, the city has kept apace through it's own merits and people.  If you were looking for a good restaurant in Scotland, it would be in Glasgow.  Music gig - Glasgow; specialist shop - Glasgow; rare car part - Glasgow; subway system - Glasgow; intraurban rail network - Glasgow; great airport - Glasgow... the list goes on.


I should end this post by saying that this could easily turn into an ugly game of Edinburgh-trashing.  It is also a fine city and a certain destination for tourists (for good reason).  I have worked in Edinburgh and seeing the view as I walk out of the Waverley train station does brighten my day and make me think - THIS is town planning at its finest.  But, if I were to choose a city to live in, it would be Glasgow.