Cold Rhubarb Soup Food

COLD RHUBARB SOUP

Steps:

• In a heavy bottomed pot add rhubarb, 2 cups water, sugar, vanilla.
• Bring to boil, simmer 25 minutes.
• Return heat to medium, add cornstarch dissolved in water. Stir continuously until it thickens.
• Chill in refrigerator until read to serve.

CHILLED STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB SOUP

Steps:

• Bring rhubarb and 3 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Cook until the rhubarb is very soft and broken down, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Put a couple inches of ice water in a large bowl and set the bowl with the rhubarb in it to help cool it quickly. (If you aren't in a hurry, you can skip the ice-water bath.) Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cool, at least 20 minutes.
• Transfer the rhubarb to a blender. Add strawberries, sugar and salt; blend until smooth. Return to the bowl and stir in 1/3 cup basil (or mint). Serve sprinkled with more herbs and a generous grinding of pepper.

CHILLED RHUBARB SOUP

Steps:

• Stir together rhubarb and granulated sugar; set aside. Tie together lemongrass stalk and mint with kitchen twine to form a bundle; set aside.
• Bring wine to a boil in a medium saucepan; cook until reduced to 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Whisk together confectioners' sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in 2 tablespoons water. Whisking reduced wine, add cornstarch mixture. Stir in rhubarb mixture.
• Bring wine mixture to a boil. Add lemongrass-mint bundle. Remove from heat; let cool completely. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour (or overnight).
• Discard bundle. Divide soup among 4 chilled bowls. Dip 2 tablespoons in hot water, and use them to form 4 scoops of ice milk. Place 1 scoop in each bowl.

BEET, RHUBARB, AND GINGER SOUP

Steps:

• Break or cut each rhubarb stalk into 2 or 3 pieces, just so they fit in the saucepan, and set aside. Wash the beets, remove the stalks and leaves (see p.199 for what to do with them), and trim each beet, cutting away the barnacly bits; there's no need to peel. Roughly chop into ¾-inch chunks. Peel the onion and roughly chop it.
• Warm the oil in a decent-sized saucepan or Dutch oven that comes with a tightly fitting lid-I use one of 10 inches diameter-and cook the onion for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. It won't soften much in that time, but enough for now.
• Peel and roughly chop the garlic, and stir it into the pan of onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, then stir in the cumin and tumble in the rhubarb and beets. Add the water and salt, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once it's bubbling, turn the heat down, clamp on the lid, and let it all cook at a robust simmer until the beets are utterly, utterly soft. This always takes more time than you'd think: I'd reckon on 1½ hours, though it easily could take longer.
• With a stick blender (and if yours comes with a soup-blending attachment, so much the better), blitz until you have a smooth and velvety ruby soup.
• If the skin's tough, peel the ginger with the tip of a teaspoon, then coarsely grate it onto a plate. Moving fast, get out a piece of paper towel and spoon half the grated ginger into the center, then bring together the edges of the paper and twist. Holding this little swag bag over the soup, press on it to squeeze out the intense juice. Now get another square of paper towel, and do the same with the remaining half of grated ginger. Taste for seasoning, ladle out into waiting bowls, and drizzle over each a little horseradish cream or green tahini sauce as you wish.

CHILLED RHUBARB AND STRAWBERRY SOUP

Steps:

• Cook rhubarb, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup water over medium heat until rhubarb is very tender and mixture starts to thicken.
• Set aside.
• In another saucepan mix strawberries and cinnamon.
• Blend together the cornstarch and the 1/4 cup water and add to strawberries.
• Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and add to rhubarb mixture.
• Chill.
• Blend together milk and sour cream and stir into rhubarb and strawberry mixture before serving.

RHUBARB SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the rhubarb, 1 cup water, sugar and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; stir into rhubarb mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened., Remove from the heat and discard cinnamon stick. Stir in grape juice. Serve warm or cover and refrigerate overnight. Garnish with almonds if desired.