Raw rhubarb can be used as a colourful and tasty salad ingredient and is fantastic very thinly shaved and ‘cooked’ in the dressing you are going to serve with the salad. The dressing goes a bit pink from the rhubarb which I think is delightful and the rhubarb looks divine. You can leave out the Pecorino if you are dairy free or vegan and the salad would still be delicious. I would happily serve this as a starter with some crusty bread.

Recipe

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:
Rhubarb, a small fat stick
1 teaspoon of nigella or poppy seed
A little sprig of chives very very finely chopped
A small fennel bulb
Pecorino shavings

Dressing
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 limes, zest and juice
5 teaspoons of maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon of English mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

How:
Begin by making the dressing. Mix the mustard with the maple syrup and then add the lime juice, zest and olive oil. Season to taste.
Next, shave the rhubarb. I found this easier with a mandolin on its finest setting. If you haven’t got a mandolin, and by the way be very careful of your fingers, they are super sharp, use a very sharp knife. It needs to be cut paper thin.
In a ceramic bowl, marinate the rhubarb shavings in the dressing for at least 10 minutes, so it softens and ‘cooks’ (it’s even better if you marinate the rhubarb overnight in the dressing) while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Shave the fennel into a serving bowl.
Place the marinated rhubarb on top and pour over the dressing.
Shave the pecorino over the top and sprinkle with the nigella seeds and the chives. Perfect with fish, meat or other salads.

Rhubarb is full of anti-oxidants and vitamin K so it’s great for staving off macular degeneration, cancer and Alzheimer’s. It’s also great for digestion.

I shop at:
Waitrose
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Lidl