Rhubarb apple soup! A surprise in a bowl.

I love rhubarb! The color, the tart, it being a sign that summer is getting close! My mother has always grown huge stalks in her garden, so much so that it looks more like a huge bush. When I was a kid I used to imagine I was an Olympian doing hurdles when I would rush toward the rhubarb, jump it, and clear it. I felt like a horse jumping a fence. I went back to Michigan last year and my mom and I harvested her crop: Note the wheelbarrow…

Before I start, the best way to store if you have to much rhubarb is to clean, chop, and freeze it. Then you can use it any time of year! It works just as well as fresh.

While my rhubarb plants that I started last year have just became big enough this year, I was thinking what I would like to do with my first harvest from this bejeweled stalk. I am so used strawberry rhubarb pie and rhubarb crisp, I wanted to try something new. Don’t get me wrong; I like those options fine, but I know I will be having a lot of pies and crisps. When I go to Michigan for my little sisters wedding, they will be without end. So I thought “What do I do? I’ve got find something new.”

The answer I found was a Victorian era recipe for Rhubarb soup! British ladies would have put these on as a soup course during warm summer days.

“Be still my heart!” i thought. “This is perfect!” The recipe was inspiring, but needed a few modern adjustments. Like keeping all that tasty and nutritious vegetable matter. And maybe not just boiling it all, even if it is a British recipe. After fidgeting with it, I came out with this lovely recipe.

What you need:

1 1/2 cup chopped rhubarb
3 apples peeled and chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cups homemade pork broth
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

In a medium saucepan on medium heat: Put in your chopped onion, and lubrication (fat) of choice. I used 2 tablespoon of butter. Brown the onions nicely now, it will give a lot of flavor to the soup.

Once the onions are golden and lovely, add in all the apples and let them cook down for 2-3 minutes. Don’t crowd them together, keep them spread out.

After that, add in the cleaned and chopped rhubarb. Let this all cook for another 2 minutes. Mix in the garlic, salt, pepper, and ginger. Stir well, wait a minute, then add the stock. If you have not recently made homemade pork stock, click here for the recipe. If you do not have the time to do this, you can use beef stock, but I would avoid any poultry stock, it will not taste right.

Let the stock come to a boil, then let boil for 4 minutes. If you don’t have a strong stock, you might want to use a bouillon cube or a bit of Better Than Bouillon™. (My stock was very strong so it was not needed.) As with much of cooking, you must taste it to find out! I would say what makes a person 15 percent better in the kitchen is trying their food before they serve it. It really gives you the chance to make last minute adjustments to save the meal if something isn’t coming out right.

When your soup is done boiling for 4 minutes, turn it off and let it sit for 5 or so minutes: about the time it takes you to toast and butter some bread.

We are letting it stand is to let cool a bit before we blend it. As soon as your toast is done or your timer has gone off, pour the whole pot into a blender, or whip out you immersion blender. Either way, blend until you reach your desired thickness. I prefer mine to still have some chunks in it, but if you work at it a while you can make it buttery smooth.

Serve it up! I like adding some cream and freshly grated nutmeg. To me it was awesome. This soup is light and tart and pairs so well with a dark bread. Like this one here. Hope you enjoy this spring soup. ~Vee

If you want to see the bread I paired with this soup click here, Or  if  you want to see where I got my inspiration click down below.