Rhubarb crisp

Rhubarb’s one of the first things you get to eat fresh in the spring, plus it grows like a weed for practically everybody wherever you plant it (except for me; I have a rhubarb plant in a big pot that never produces anything ever. But for everyone else.)

But in the fall, I make the same thing with chopped apples, and that’s good too. Or mix them, for apple-rhubarb crisp.

How to make Rhubarb Crisp:

Dice 5 big stalks of rhubarb, and an apple. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the rhubarb and apple with 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Pour into a piepan.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Crush 1/2 cup of hazelnuts (I do this with a mortar and pestle, but you could do it in a food processor, or just roll the nuts in a dishtowel and go over them with a rolling pin). In the same mixing bowl, melt a stick of butter in the microwave (about two minutes).

Add 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, a large pinch of salt, and the crushed hazelnuts and mix. Spread the crumble over the top of the rhubarb and bake about 30 minutes. Cool for five minutes. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Vegetarian or Vegan?

Rhubarb is vegetarian, but it’s not vegan. To make it vegan, you’d need to use coconut oil in place of the butter.

Will it keep?

Yes, for a few days, in the refrigerator.

Published by Karen Carr

Dr. Karen Carr is Associate Professor Emerita, Department of History, Portland State University. She holds a doctorate in Classical Art and Archaeology from the University of Michigan. Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, or buy her book, Vandals to Visigoths.

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