First things first. Raw rhubarb is not poisonous.
I’m glad we cleared that up. Now we can move onto the fun stuff.
This salad is wonderful.
I first saw it in an August 2007 issue of delicious Magazine and I have been meaning to make it for the past three years, but as these stories always unfold, something has always gotten in the way.
It was a recipe by Lebanese-Australian Greg Malouf, cooked with Skye Gyngell at her Petersham Nurseries Café (London), and was served as part of an extravagant Middle Eastern banquet that included pigeon b’stilla, lobster tagine and smoky paprika & parsley tartare.
I have never been more jealous of other diners.
Last week, after a nice wander to the Eveleigh farmers markets with Tia Bicky, I impulsively bought some goat cutlets and a huge bunch of ruby red rhubarb.
I rarely ever buy rhubarb. And now there was a lot of it.
Bright, shiny and fresh. And mountains of it.
I was going to have to come up with some nifty ways to cook it, then I remembered the salad and became a woman on a mission.
Luckily, everything else was already in the fridge! What are the chances?
It was meant to be.
The rhubarb, so sour and tangy, provides all the acidity you need for this salad and thus no acidulent is used in the dressing (lemon, vinegar etc). Lemon zest is used, but its contribution is more aromatic than acidic.
I heartily recommend this salad. It tastes healthy and delicious all at once.
Raw Rhubarb & Feta Salad
Recipe by Greg Malouf from delicious Magazine August 2007. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
2 rhubarb stalks, cleaned well
Handful of small salad leaves (eg mache, baby spinach)
200g sheep’s milk feta
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sumac, for sprinkling
Method:
1. Slice rhubarb into very thin strips.
2. Toss rhubarb, lemon zest and salad leaves with half the olive oil.
3. Plate salad leaves and then crumble feta on top.
4. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Dust with sumac.
I served this salad as the first of a three course rhubarb inspired meal:
• Raw Rhubarb & Feta Salad
• Grilled Goat Cutlets w Rhubarb Agrodolce Sauce
• Vanilla, Rhubarb & Strawberry Compote w Chocolate Custard
All the rhubarb was used up and I also made a side of wine braised purple heirloom carrots. Everything tasted wonderful.
Back in Finland I use to eat rhubarb straight from the garden and even now when I buy it I always eat some raw, it's so delicious! This salad sounds great, love sumac!
ReplyDeleteMaria - i had never tried raw rhubarb until i made this. my mother grew it too but she frightened me off eating it raw. but it's just the leaves that are poisonous, not the stalks. wasted years :)
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