Rhubarb and Grapefruit Marmalade

Rhubarb is a sort of mythical thing to me.

It is a vegetable they say, let’s say, which has large green leaves on red stems. It would resemble beetroot if it’s stems weren’t much larger and it’s leaves so different to beetroot.

I should say now that the leaves are not edible..or the roots of the plant..

Also I should say that although in Greek rhubarb is called Raventi it’s not well known in Greece.

Maybe it was more well known in the old days especially in northern Greece.

Anyway…

I got to know it years ago in Brussels with strawberries in a crumble and I was blown away… I didn’t find any in season there at the time or in Paris where I went a month later.

I found it in a super market in Mykonos called Flora (for those who have been there and know it) in April but I didn’t buy it.

After, I found it in England and Cyprus but never in Greece.

Finally in Australia a few months ago I found some and brought 2 Kilos of it all the way back to Greece.

I didn’t expect it to survive the journey in my suitcase but it did and I made two new recipes.

This marmalade and a dessert with Pannacotta.

This particular marmalade combines bitter, sour and sweet wonderfully…

If you find rhubarb you must try this..

Most recipes online simply squeeze the grapefruit but I decided to fillet the fruit instead.

I’m not sure it was worth the trouble..

Diffuculty: 1 of 3

Duration:1 hour

Serves:makes about 1 lt of jam

Ingredients

800 gr. Of rhubarb stems with the leaves removed cut into pieces approximately 0.5-1cm

2 Large grapefruit preferably pink

800 gr sugar

Method

Put a few saucers in the freezer.

Using a fruit peeler, peel the grapefruits carefully making sure not to take off too much of the white pith under the skin.

With a sharp knife remove whatever pith has remained on the skin of the grapefruits and cut the skins into the smallest pieces possible.

Next, fillet the grapefruits and place in a bowl keeping the juice created during the process.

In a deep saucepan put the pieces of rhubarb, the finely chopped skin and the filleted grapefruit (with its juice) along with the sugar.

Bring to the boil and take off the stove.

Leave the mixture in the fridge overnight to allow the aromas and flavours to combine.

Next day put the mixture in the saucepan back on the stove on a medium to high heat .

The mixture will bubble up so it is wise to do this in a deep pan. Also a teaspoon of olive oil will help.

With the help of a slotted spoon skim as much of the pale froth from the sides of the surface of the mixture.

Soon the froth will subside and as the marmalade thickens the bubbles become larger in diameter and more luscious.

A food thermometer would help as the temperature needs to get to 105-113c.

An alternative way to know if the marmalade is ready is to put drops of the mixture on our previously placed saucers in the freezer and if the marmalade does not spread out but stays as a droplet then the marmalade is ready.

You could also put a larger amount of the mixture on one of the saucers and after separating the mixture into two pieces with your finger if the two pieces don’t join up again on the plate it is ready.

Once ready fill up pre-sterilised jars with the marmalade.

Put the lids on and place them top down on a teacloth to cool down.

The will keep in a fridge for a year.