HARDY AND HEALTHFUL, THIS STUNNING GARNET and emerald gift of nature is a useful early crop. Tradition tells us to sweeten it and use it for jams, compotes, and pastry fillings. Given its natural astringency, however, there’s no reason that rhubarb shouldn’t take a starring role in savory fare.
No one will mistake this tangy and sweet sauce for the bottled tomato ketchup we’ve come to expect with our burgers and chips down at the pub. I wouldn’t put it in the chutney camp, either. I like to think of it as a delicious cross between a marmalade, a ketchup, and a steak sauce. Unique and flavorful!
MAKES ABOUT
1½ CUPS / 350 MILLILITERS KETCHUP
2 tablespoons / 25 grams salted butter
2 cups / 300 grams rhubarb,
chopped into ½-inch / 1.3-centimeter pieces
½ small onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter. Add the rhubarb and stir until the rhubarb pieces soften. Add the onion and garlic and sauté with the rhubarb pieces for about 2 minutes, allowing them to sweat, taking care not to overbrown.
Add the sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, olive oil, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the rhubarb begins to disintegrate, falling apart easily when mashed with the back of a spoon. Reduce the mixture until it’s the consistency of a commercial ketchup. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside, allowing it to cool for about 30 minutes. Once the mixture is cool, purée it until smooth, using a stick blender or in the carafe of a standing blender. Once puréed, ladle into clean jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.