ruminating about rhubarb...

i seem to have come out of the funk i've been in for over a month now- not feeling very creative besides what i do for the gallery (which appears creative to others but is really just me on autopilot)

anyway, i finally feel like sharing something, so here it is

one of my earliest food memories is biting into a stalk of rhubarb given to me by my great grandmother as i followed her around her garden in central indiana- it was quite a shock to the system but i learned to love the taste, to the point of daring other kids to see who could eat the most- i always won that bet

i fondly remember my greatgrandmother's "sloppy" pies, called such as she rarely bothered with a top crust- her sloppy apple pie topped with a slice of cheddar cheese will always be my favorite- as well as my grandmother's strawberry-rhubarb pie (complete with top crust) and served with my grandfather's home made ice cream

i recently tried my mother's recipe but found it too sweet, not enough of the sour/tart bite of the rhubarb that i love so

the following recipe came from the new york times magazine a couple of years ago- it will be the one i hand down

enjoy

5 cups sliced rhubarb

1 1/4 cups sugar

5 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

use your favorite crust recipe (no need to post one here)

blend rhubarb, sugar, flour and cinnamon

pour into crust and dot with butter

add top crust (if you like, my great grandmother didn't always), trim, seal and cut vents

bake for 15 minutes at 425, reduce temp to 350 and bake 25-30 minutes more or until the pink rhubarb juice bubbles out the vent holes

serve with homeade ice cream (is there any other way?)

for those who need a little sweetness, you can substitute a cup (or two for the kids) of strawberries for the rhubarb