By Pattie Garrett
As spring evolves into summer, our stomachs start to crave lighter, easier meals. So grab your shopping bags and head to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market for the latest seasonal produce. Two “red” delectable items of produce are available: strawberries and rhubarb. They sing the word “June.” By July, they’re likely to be gone. So get them while you can.
Strawberry rhubarb pie is, of course, a longtime favorite. But why not try something different. The following recipe features another seasonal item: spring chicken, with a strawberry rhubarb sauce. The dish is full of flavor and good for you. Not to mention easy to make: Bake chicken breasts, serve with the Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce, and add a green salad, a tall glass of milk or maybe some wine. You’ve got a delicious meal grown locally by people from your region.
Rhubarb technically is a vegetable. However, it’s often used like a fruit, in desserts with sugar, honey or other sweeteners added. The sweetener helps bring the rhubarb’s tart flavor under control. Rhubarb is a good source of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and Potassium. Although rhubarb has calcium, it also has oxalic acid that binds with the calcium so you can’t absorb it. This is one vegetable where you cannot eat the leaves, they are inedible.
Strawberries are a favorite spring fruit and an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Fiber, and Folic Acid. They have plenty of phytonutrients and flavonoids.
To make this dish, add these items from the farmers’ market to your grocery list: Chicken breasts, rhubarb, strawberries, onions, maple syrup, and garlic.
Strawberry and Rhubarb Sauce
Ingredients:
• 2 cups rhubarb, chopped
• ⅔ cup strawberries mashed
• ½ teaspoon mustard seed
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup diced onions
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients simmering for 5 minutes until the rhubarb is tender.
2. Remove the rhubarb and continue to simmer until syrup thickens.
3. Add the rhubarb back into the mixture and serve.
