Who doesn’t love delicious rhubarb tarts, cakes and compotes? But did you know that rhubarb can also be used as an ingredient in savory dishes? Today we’ll tell you how easily this spring classic can be integrated into a tasty main course and what you have to consider when preparing it.
Before we turn to the recipe, we would like to dedicate a little hymn of praise to this unique perennial plant. Not only is rhubarb a vitamin C cache, but it also contains many minerals like phosphorus and potassium, as well as providing the intestines with fiber. In ancient China, rhubarb was celebrated as a medicinal plant and used to treat fever, indigestion and plague.
Many people are deterred by the preparation of the fruity-sour perennial plant – in our opinion completely unfounded; there are only a few points you have to pay attention to when consuming rhubarb. It contains oxalic acid: the greener the pulp and skin, the higher the proportion of this calcium-robbing acid. Raw rhubarb stalks should therefore only be consumed in small quantities – do not consume rhubarb leaves. If mature stalks have tough fibers, they should be removed; this is normally not necessary. The most digestible (and delicious) rhubarb is rinsed and then either stewed, baked, or gently and carefully poached.
The rhubarb season officially ends on June 24th. This means that we only have a month left to enjoy it. Let’s not waste any time; create some happy alchemy with rhubarb stalks in the kitchen! Here is a lukewarm salad of green asparagus with rhubarb relish, poached egg and creamy polenta to savor.
Warm Asparagus Salad with Rhubarb Relish and Poached Egg
Ingredients
For the rhubarb relish:
- 3 dl / 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 3 teaspoons of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
- 2 thin red sticks of rhubarb
- 1 shallot
For the dressing:
- 3 Tb mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons of mustard
- 3 Tb of olive oil
- 2 Tb of lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
For the polenta:
- 6 dl / 2 cups bouillon
- 100 g / ½ cup polenta
- 1 dl / ⅓ cup cream
For the asparagus:
- 800 g / 2 pounds green asparagus
- 3 Tb of olive oil
- Salt pepper and thyme
- For the poached egg:
- 4 fresh eggs
- 1 Tb white wine vinegar
Instructions
Rhubarb Relish:
- Peel the rhubarb stalks and cut into small pieces.
- Peel the shallot and slice into thin rings.
- Put the vinegar, sugar, salt and coriander seeds together with the rhubarb pieces and shallots in a saucepan and bring to the boil briefly.
- As soon as the sugar has dissolved, put the hot relish in a heat-resistant glass and cover it and let it cool down
Dressing:
- Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil and lemon until smooth.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and chill.
Polenta:
- Bring the stock to the boil.
- Add the polenta and stir well.
- Cover the pot and reduce the heat to the minimum.
- Let the polenta simmer gently for 30 minutes (caution: do not remove the lid during this time).
Asparagus:
- While the polenta is simmering, wash the asparagus, cut off the woody end and peel lightly about a third of the way up from the end.
- Line the baking tray with parchment paper and spread the asparagus on top.
- Oil the asparagus evenly and season with salt, pepper and thyme.
- Depending on the thickness of the stalks, bake the asparagus at 180C for 15-20 minutes. As soon as the asparagus are soft, take them out of the oven.
Poached Eggs:
- Pour approx. 7-8cm deep water into a wide pot and boil it once.
- As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat until the water is just below the boiling point.
- Add the vinegar to the water.
- Carefully break an egg into a coffee cup, making sure that the yolk stays whole.
- Stir the pot with a ladle until a vortex forms.
- Carefully and slowly pour the egg into the center of the vortex.
- Let the egg set in the water for 3 minutes.
- Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
- Poach all four eggs one at a time.
Serving:
- Spread the dressing evenly on the plates.
- Place the asparagus on top of the dressing.
- Stir the cream into the finished polenta and place it on the plate.
- Carefully roll the poached eggs onto the asparagus and lightly salt and pepper them.
- Garnish the plate with the rhubarb relish.
