Sweet and Saucy Spring Rhubarb

[Ron-Douglas]

Sweet and Saucy Spring Rhubarb

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Rhubarb?
Rhubarb is a perennial plant that grows from thick short rhizomes, comprising the genus Rheum. The large, somewhat triangular leaf blades are elevated on long, fleshy petioles. The flowers are small, greenish-white, and borne in large compound leafy inflorescences.

Rhubarb is actually a vegetable, but is often used in food as a fruit. In the United States until the 1940s it was considered a vegetable. It was reclassified as a fruit when US customs officials, baffled by the foreign food, decided it should be classified according to the way it was eaten.[1]
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Chock full of vitamins and minerals and possessing a lively character of its own, rhubarb is our favorite sign that spring is really, truly here. This recipe is the soul of simplicity: the rhubarb cooks up soft and tangy-sweet in a citrus-spiked sauce. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and you have rhubarb heaven in a dish.

INGREDIENTS
6 largish rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
3/4 cup organic granulated sugar or more, to taste
Zest of 1 orange
Greek yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Place rhubarb in a medium baking dish, sprinkle with sugar and orange zest. Add only just enough water to cover the rhubarb.
2. Place dish in oven and bake about an hour, until rhubarb is very soft but still holds its shape. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the rhubarb to a pretty serving dish.
3. Pour the baking-dish juices into a saucepan and boil over medium-high heat around 15 minutes, until thick and syrupy. Pour this sauce over the rhubarb.
4. Serve rhubarb warm or room temperature, with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Serves 4 to 6.

Helpful Hints
If you don't want to use sugar, try substituting maple syrup.

Source: Care2.com