Catfish Sinigang 2: Rhubarb

Made this recipe, sans leafy greens and substituting 5 stalks of rhubarb for the lemon, the day before yesterday. Didn't use enough, at least for my tastes - while the rhubarb did add a nice, subtle tartness to the soup, it wasn't quite the strong sourness I was looking for. Still very tasty, though - tester #1 concurs.

Cut rhubarb into 4-inch lengths. Boil in three cups of water for 15 minutes or until tender.

Remove from water. Strain and mash with a spoon to release additional liquid into the water.

Add green beans, onion and tomato and proceed as usual.

Rhubarb-Rosemary Daiquiri

I'm not normally a fan of sweet drinks, but this recipe seemed intriguing (and my last experiment with rhubarb turned out well). It was a perfect lounge-in-the-park drink for the July 4th weekend - sweet but not cloyingly so, with the woodsy taste of the rosemary and the sharp tang of the lemon adding levels of complexity. (Thanks, idogcow!)

• 2 1/4 cups water, divided
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar, divided
  
• 1/2 cup rosemary leaves
• 3 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
• 6 tbsp. lemon juice, divided
• 1 1/2 cups white rum

Bring 1 cup water and 2 tablespoons sugar to a simmer, stirring often. Remove from heat; add 1/2 cup rosemary leaves. Let steep 5 minutes. Strain, pressing on rosemary; discard rosemary. Let cool 1 hour.

Place rhubarb, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 1/4 cups water, and 1/2 cup sugar in blender. Process until coarse puree forms. Strain through fine-mesh sieve into medium bowl. Use your hands & squeeze rhubarb pulp to release as much liquid as possible through sieve; discard pulp. Cover and chill rosemary syrup and rhubarb juice separately at least 4 hours and up to 2 days. [Note: The longer steeping time really does help - the rhubarb mixture developed a deeper, more complex flavor.]

Mix rosemary syrup, rhubarb juice, remaining 5 tablespoons lemon juice, and rum in pitcher. Serve over ice, garnished with rosemary sprigs and lemon twists.

Touch of Evil

I came across this recipe (the work of San Francisco mixologist Jacqueline Patterson) at CHOW; it inspired my first foray into simple syrups. The result is a wicked, complex, deceptively innocent-tasting drink - a femme fatale disguised as a cheery Southern coed.

Incidentally, rhubarb is one of the recommended substitutes for tamarind in some sinegang recipes.

• 3 parts Bulleit bourbon
• 2 parts rhubarb syrup (recipe follows below)
  
• 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 dash absinthe (they recommend St. George, but note that Kubler is acceptable)
  
• ice
• 1 lemon twist
• mint leaf, crushed

Combine bourbon, syrup, lemon juice and absinthe in an ice-filled shaker. Shake, then strain into a glass.

Garnish with lemon twist and mint leaf. (Alternately, you can muddle another mint leaf in the glass.)

Rhubarb Syrup (makes 1 and 1/2 cups)

• 5 ounces rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until rhubarb is falling apart and color has bled into the syrup, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from heat. Strain and discard rhubarb solids. Let syrup cool to room temperature, then transfer to a resealable container and store in the refrigerator.

Sinigang na Baboy (Pork in Sour Broth)

While the pre-prepared sinigang mixes (Knorr and Mama Sita) I've used contain tamarind, I use lemon juice and patis (fish sauce) when cooking from scratch. This recipe is modified from Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad.

NOTE: The original recipe calls for 5-6 pieces of tamarind to be added along with the tomatoes and onion. Then it should be removed, mashed with some of the broth, and the resulting liquid should be returned to the pot. Lemon juice is one substitute; another is 2-3 stalks of rhubarb - I've never tried this, but assume that some adjustment would be necessary.

• 2-1/2 lb. baby back ribs, cut into pieces
  
• 10 cups water
• 4-5 medium tomatoes, sliced (I use Roma)
• 1 large onion, sliced
  
• 4-6 tbsp. patis
  
• 4-6 tbsp. lemon juice
  
• 1 lb. green beans, trimmed
  
• 5 oz. spinach, chopped
• 2-4 baby bok choy, chopped - separate leaves and stems (optional but yummy)
  

Bring water and pork to a boil. Add tomatoes and onions. Simmer covered for 1 hour, or until tender.

Add lemon juice and patis. Taste and correct seasoning.

Bring to a boil, then add green beans and baby bok choy stems. Cook for 5-8 minutes more, or until beans have reached desired texture.

Add spinach and bok choy leaves, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.