Asparagus, Rhubarb Herald Spring’s Bounty
RHUBARB COBBLER
5 cups rhubarb, cut up
1 tablespoon minute tapioca
1 tablespoon flour
'A cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons shortening
legg
3 A cup milk
Place cut-up rhubarb in large
casserole dish. Stir in tapioca,
flour, and sugar.
Mix together flour, sugar, salt,
baking powder, shortening, egg,
and milk. Pour over rhubarb
mixture and bake at 400 degrees
about 30 minutes.
Serve warm with milk and
sugar.
Mabel Harnish
Willow Street
EASY CREAM OF
ASPARAGUS SOUP
2 (10'/2-ounce) cans condensed
cream of asparagus soup
2 cups half and half
10-ounce package frozen as
paragus OR 2 cups fresh
asparagus tips, cooked until
soft
'A teaspoon salt
Dash ground pepper
'A teaspoon sugar
Combine all ingredients in
food processor and whirl until
completely smooth. Pour into
saucepan and heat just until it
comes to a boil. Season with ad
ditional salt and pepper if
needed. Serve hot.
“Enjoy! Easy and Wonderful!”
Julie Hoover
Douglassville
RHUBARB CAKE
Rhubarb mixture:
3-4 cups rhubarb
1 cup sugar
3-ounces strawberry Jell-O
Batter:
I'A cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Vi teaspoon salt
'/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar, scant
1 egg, beaten
V* cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
In a bowl, combine rhubarb,
sugar, and Jell-O, set aside. Sift
together flour, baking powder,
and salt. In another bowl, cream
butter, sugar, and egg. Add dry
ingredients with milk and vanil
la. Blend until batter is smooth.
Layer rhubarb mixture on bot
tom of buttered 9x13-inch pan.
sUnd batter over top. Mix cin
namon and sugar together and
sprinkle over top.
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Bake at 3SO degrees for 35-40
minutes.
Jennifer Cassel
Ephrata
ASPARAGUS PUFF RING
Va cup water
6 tablespoons butter
Va cup all-purpose flour
Vi teaspoon salt
3 eggs
Va cup Parmesan cheese, divid
ed
Filling:
1 pound fresh asparagus, cut
into 1-inch pieces
'A cup diced onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Vi teaspoon salt
Va teaspoon pepper
VA cups milk
'A cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
cheese
2 cups diced frilly cooked ham
In a saucepan over medium
heat, bring water and butter to a
boil. Add flour and salt all at
once; stir until a smooth ball
forms. Let stand 5 minutes. Add
eggs, one at a time, beating well
after each; beat until smooth. Stir
in 3 tablespoons Parmesan
cheese. Using V* cupfuls of
dough, form a ring around the
sides of a greased 10-inch quiche
pan or pie plate (mounds should
touch). Top with remaining
cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for
35 minutes. Meanwhile, cook as
paragus until crisp-tender, 3-4
minutes; drain. In a saucepan,
saute onion in butter until tender.
Stir in flour, salt and pepper.
Gradually add milk; bring to a
boil over medium heat, stirring
constantly. Reduce heat; stir in
cheeses until melted. Stir in ham
and asparagus; spoon into ring.
Serve immediately. Yield: 6 serv
ings.
Charlene Bennett
RHUBARB PIE
Crust;
10-inch double pie crust un
baked
Filling:
IV2 cups sugar, divided
4 tablespoons cornstarch, di
vided
2 tablespoons quick-cooking
tapioca, divided
2 cups freshly cut strawberry
rhubarb or frozen
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
'A teaspoon almond extract
1 cup red tart cherries, divided
1 cup freshly cut green rhubarb
Glaze:
Milk
Granulated sugar
Heat oven to 450 degrees. For
filling, combine Vi cup sugar, 3
tablespoons cornstarch, and 1 ta-
Turkey Asparagus Roll-Ups not only looks impressive but offers a whole gamut of vi
tamins, minerals, and protein.
blespoon tapioca. Sprinkle evenly
over bottom of pan of unbaked
pie shell. Combine strawberry
rhubarb, lemon juice, and al
mond extract in bowl. Set aside.
Place cherries on top of sugar
mixture in pie shell. Add, in lay
ers, strawberry rhubarb mixture,
remaining 1 cup sugar; remain
ing half cup berries, green rhu
barb, remaining 1 tablespoon
cornstarch, and remaining 1 ta
blespoon quick-cooking tapioca.
Cover .with top crust Fold top
edge under bottom crust. Flute
with fingers or fork. Cut slits or
design in top crust. For glaze,
brush top crust with milk. Sprin
kle with sugar. Cover with foil.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 min
utes. Reduce oven temperature to
350 degrees. Bake 40-50 minutes,
recovering with foil, if necessary,
to prevent over browning. Cool
until barely warm or to room
temperature before serving.
Yield: 10-inch pie.
Fran Westfall
New Oxford
RHUBARB JELLY
4'/2-5 pounds rhubarb
AVi-S quarts cut into 1-inch
pieces
7 cups sugar
1-2 drops red coloring (option
al)
2 pouches liquid fruit pectin
Grind the rhubarb in a food
processor or in grinder. Strain off
juice in a jelly bag, reserving 3'A
cups juice. Pour juice into a large
kettle. Add sugar and coloring.
Bring to a boil over high heat,
stirring constantly. Add pectin,
bring to a lull rolling boil. Boil
one minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Let stand a
few minutes and skim off foam.
Pour hot into warm jars. Leave
'A-inch headspace. Adjust lids.
Process 10 minutes in boiling
water bath. Yield: 4 pints.
Asparagtri seems to be one of those foods that people either
love or hht6. For the people who love it, asparagus ii available
now through June.
Although consumers often think that “younger and thinner”
equals tenderness, the opposite is true for asparagus. Spears that 1
are thicker are more tender. ' ''
According to research, a young asparagus plants puts more
energy into producing spears that will stand upright, 90 most of
the plant material in the spears of younger asparagus plants is
crude fiber.
Crude fiber is the cellulose-based material found in .outer lay
ers of celery and other vegetables. As the asparagus plant ma
tures, less growth is dedicated to producing crude fiber and the
spears thicken with soft, soluble fiber and other nutrients mak
ing it easier to chew.
Whether thin or fat, asparagus is a nutritional bonanza, serv
ing as a significant source of vitamins A and C. It is also high in
folate and potassium.
Asparagus loses moisture very quickly after harvesting and
the sugars within the spears begin to him to starch, and the
spear develops woody tissue if left at room temperature so eat
within a few days of harvesting.
Overcooked asparagus is another reason the vegetable may
taste woody. You know you’ve overcooked asparagus if it be
comes dull green in color. To cook it properly, stand the spears
upright in a deep pan filled two-thirds with water and steam or
boil them for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the
spears.
There are many other cooking options. The following isajeci-|
pe that is guaranteed to please asparagus lovers and eveqpiosfr
who aren’t.
TURKEY ASPARAGUS ROLL-UPS
4 (8 to 12 oz.) turkey breast fillets
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
12 to 16 small asparagus spears, cleaned and trimmed
Vi cup shredded lowfat mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons each minced parsley and shallots
Seasoned salt
Ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Vi cup dry white wine
Gently pound turkey to length of asparagus spears; spread
each slice with Vi teaspoon mustard. Place 3 to 4 asparagus to
ward one aid of long side of turkey fillet. Sprinkle each with 2
tablespoons cheese and 1-V4 teaspoons each parsley and shallots;
sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. Roil up turkey to en
close asparagus. Fasten with skewers or toothpicks. Brown tur
key rolls in oil in oven-proof skillet; pour wine over turkey and
sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. Bake at 3SOF 15 to 20
minutes or until turkey is cooked but not dry. If desired, add 2
tablespoons water to pan drippings, heat and serve over turkey
rolls. Makes 4 servings.
K. Martin
QuarryviDe
Serving Tip: Serve with cooked rice or pasta.
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