Triple Take: Rhubarb, Thinking Outside the Pie

Photo by Carole Topalian

Rhubarb, possibly the quintessential summer vegetable, is anticipated by many and a mystery to many more. Strawberry-rhubarb pie is as common as it is delicious but we wanted to expand rhubarb’s resume in this Triple Take series. We tasked an accomplished home cook, Nina Butkin; a culinary professional, Michelle Donaldson of Tallgrass Prairie Table; and our own Edible Tulsa kitchen crew to create a rhubarb recipe that lands outside the crust.

THE HOME COOK: NINA BUTKIN

Nina Butkin, vice president of design at Fabricut Inc. in Tulsa, is not only a talented textiles designer but also an impressive cook. She earned a bachelor in fine arts degree in textile design from Rhode Island School of Design and moved to Tulsa in 1994 to work for Fabricut. Nina and her husband, Robert, temper busy careers with three active teen and tween girls—Claire, Julia and Olivia—and their various activities. Robert loves beets and Nina adapted this unique beet and rhubarb salad recipe from a favorite cookbook.
Recipe: Rhubarb-Beet Tarragon Salad

EDIBLE TULSA KITCHEN

Recipe: Rhubarb Freezer Jam with Citrus and Thyme

THE PRO: CHEF MICHELLE DONALDSON

Chef Michelle Donaldson of the fantastically local farm-to-fork restaurant Tallgrass Prairie Table prepared this lovely and delicious rhubarb flatbread. Michelle originally prepared this dish for the first dinner she cooked at Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy, where Tallgrass Prairie Table procures the bulk of its ingredients. If you stop by, you might even find this delicious flatbread on the menu sometime. You never know since, thankfully, the menu is dictated by local, seasonal ingredients. When you make the compote recipe, use it to make your own flatbread pizzas as well as with roasted meats, a variety of cheeses and with local yogurt for breakfast.
Recipe: Tallgrass Prairie Table’s Rhubarb Compote