Rhubarb, my favorite vegetable

Here's a story which demonstrates why I love living on the farm:

I'm walking along and notice "Hey, we have a ton of rhubarb." So I pick some, wash it and chop it up, stumble onto the world's easiest recipe, [completely change the recipe,] and voila! Dessert is served. (More importantly? One pound of rhubarb down, 70 million to go.)

Rhubarb Ginger Squares

2 cups flour
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 pound fresh rhubarb stalks, washed, trimmed, and finely chopped
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Sift flour, 1 tsp. ground ginger, and salt into a medium bowl.

Beat butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar with electric mixer until creamy. Use a wooden spoon to mix in dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Do not over-mix. Transfer half the mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

To the remaining half, add the egg and mix to form a smooth dough. Spread dough into bottom of prepared pan and press to form a smooth, even layer. Place rhubarb over the top. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Mix 2/3 cup white sugar, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. ground ginger, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until golden. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and cut into bars. Serve warm. (With ice cream, obviously.)



Adapted from Cookies: 1,001 Mouthwatering Recipes from around the World. Reader's Digest. 2004.