Is It A Fruit Or A Vegetable?

The Husband mentioned one day how he use to love when his mom cooked up rhubarb and served it to his family over ice cream. Never in my life have I tasted rhubarb. Not over ice cream, in a pie, or as a jam. I've seen it in passing in grocery stores and it never occurred to me that it might be something I would ever use for cooking a dessert.

Here is some information I found on the Internet about this ingredient: "Rhubarb is a vegetable with a unique taste that makes it a favorite in many pies and desserts. It originated in Asia over 2,000 years ago. It was initially cultivated for its medicinal qualities, it was not until the 18th century that rhubarb was grown for culinary purposes in Britain and America. Rhubarb is often commonly mistaken to be a fruit but rhubarb is actually a close relative of garden sorrel, and is therefore a member of the vegetable family. Rhubarb is rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber. "Well, the day came recently after The Husband's comment, when I was at Easy Orchards farm market and there was a big pile of those bright red, celery-looking stalks just sitting there begging to be purchased. So I bought a pound, took them home and ran to the computer to search for a recipe.

What I came up with was a roasted rhubarb compote which was dutifully served over vanilla ice cream and I must say, it wasn't too bad. Personally, chocolate sauce or sliced up fresh peaches are more to my liking, but I'm glad I gave this curious vegetable a try.

Roasted Rhubarb Compote

1 lb. of rhubarb, cleaned and cut into two inch pieces

1 cup sugar (or more to taste as this ratio made a very tart compote)

zest of 1 orange or 1 lemonPreheat oven to 400 degrees. Place all of the ingredients together in a roasting pan and combine well so that all of the sugar and zest is fully incorporated with the rhubarb. Place in oven and roast for 15 minutes. Stir the mixture around and roast for 10 minutes more. Cool completely and serve over ice cream or yogurt.