Rhubarb-B-Que Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 pound rhubarb trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more for more heat)
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rhubarb and cook until it has softened slightly, about 6–8 minutes. Stir in paprika, salt, cinnamon and red pepper flakes, cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses and apple cider vinegar. Cook until rhubarb is very soft, about 6–8 minutes more.
- Working in batches if necessary, transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Add water until you reach a pourable consistency.
Notes
RHUBARB: MORE THAN MEETS THE PIE
If all that rambling through the forest has left you longing for something more familiar, there’s always rhubarb! If you know someone with a rhubarb plant, then you’ve probably ended up with bags of it on your porch, right? Rhubarb grows amazingly well in the Lehigh Valley, so even if your neighbor doesn’t have some in their garden, it’s available in the markets and farm stands during the spring. When cooking with rhubarb, it’s usually strawberry-rhubarb pie just like Grandma made. As well-loved as pie is, a more savory concoction beckoned: barbecue sauce. Rhubarb’s sour tang makes a great barbecue sauce—it’s right in the name: Rhubarb-B-Que! As with most sauces, it gets better after it mellows in the fridge for a day or two.