I honestly have no rhubarb with rhubarb.

This wonderful plant makes delicious desserts and has some great savory qualities, as well.

But it does have a bit of an identity crisis going on, I’ve learned. When I googled to see if it’s a fruit or a vegetable, the response I got said for culinary purposes it’s a fruit. In the next sentence, however, it said this perennial vegetable….

Go figure.

Fruit or vegetable makes no difference, really. It is, for many, a great springtime addition to both desserts and savory dishes.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE rhubarb crisp. Okay, I love it a little too much. And, at this point in my COVID-15 journey (you read that right, I have COVID-15 which is the same as Freshman 15 where you usually gain 15 pounds your freshman year in college…well, I have gained weight (I won’t say how much) during stay-at-home)).

Given the fact that I’m trying to lay low on sweets (Notice I said trying), I searched for savory recipes and found a number of them. Several were recipes for cherry-rhubarb sauce.

This recipe has two cups of red onion in it, so it definitely is a sauce for a meat dish. I had some thick sliced pork chops, seared them and put them in a crock pot topped with the sauce and I added some rosemary. While my son prefers his meat plain so he can put on his own hot sauce or ketchup, I truly enjoy a nice savory sauce. I liked this recipe and I hope you do, too.

This is an example of the versatility of rhubarb.

Oh, and I got my rhubarb at Ida Valley Farm’s stand at the Alexandria MN Farmers Market. Rhubarb is one of those great seasonal finds right now.

Here’s the recipe:

Rhubarb Cherry Sauce

2 large red onions, coarse chopped (2 cups)

1/3 c. cider vinegar

1/3 c. dried cherries

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. water

1 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger or 1/8 tsp. ground ginger

3 c. fresh rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces or 3 c. frozen, thawed and drained rhubarb

-In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except for rhubarb. bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add rhubarb, cover and simmer 10 minutes then uncover and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, or 5 to 10 minutes more if using frozen.

-Let cool. Store covered. Can be in refrigerator up to 1 week. Makes 2.5 cups.

Good as a sauce for meat i.e. the pork chops I made. Good with rosemary added in the crockpot process.