Back to the cooking....Rhubarb!

Yes, I am a happy cow, but then again you would be too if your grandmother gave you 1 1/2 pounds homegrown organic rhubarb. Rhubarb has to be one of the most incredibly uniquely flavored and scented vegetables out there, the scent is of grass, strawberries, and tomatoes. The flavor as if a green apple and strawberry had been mixed together. So to celebrate it in it's incredible glory I took Gourmet's 2006 Rhubarb Compote recipe and tweaked it into making it my own.

Rhubarb Compote

1 1/2 pounds Rhubarb (about 4 cups chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)

1 cup of suger

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium, heavy based saucepan, over medium and stir until suger dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover, and cook for about 7 minutes. Let mixture cool and then chill (I had a hard time doing this) and serve with something wonderfully creamy (I did mine with Greek yogurt, but I suspect this may one of those perfect ice cream toppings). By the way you will be tempted to eat spoonfuls of this and I did and I don't regret it.

Jubilence Soup

Jubilence Soup
aka Nigella Lawson's Happiness Soup's even brighter sister

Ingredients:
18 ounces yellow squash (around two squash) diced
4 cloves of garlic sliced
1 boneless skinless chicken breast chopped
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon Madras Tamarind Hot Curry powder
a dash of cayenne (optional)
zest and juice of one small lemon
1/2 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup red lentils
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
4 cups chicken stock

Directions
1. dice squash and slice garlic
2. Sautee squash and garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes, add chicken and lemon zest and sautee another 3 minutes, until squash is tender
3. Add stock, lemon juice, curry powder, tumeric, lentils, rice, and dash of cayenne.
4. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes until rice and lentils are tender, make sure to stir so lentils do not burn on bottom.
5. serve.

And a nice creamy topping:

Ingredients:
a quarter of a cucumber, finely diced
a dash of salt and pepper
1/4 a teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
3 tablespoons yogurt
2 teaspoons mint chopped (or go by your taste on mint)

Directions
1. mix all together and a dollop on soup
2. enjoy.

This was absolutely delicious and will be made again. so very yummy.