How I Got My Kitchen Groove Back

A Fresh Focus

Join us at the City of Manassas Farmers Market Thursdays at the Harris Pavilion and Saturdays in Parking Lot B (corner of West and Prince William Streets) from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. 

By ANNIE BLEWETT
Farmer’s Market Coordinator

Two years ago, I was feeling particularly ambitious (or foolish, depending on your perspective) and decided to train for a half marathon. I trained with two other friends, and became astounded with my ability for distance running. I had always viewed myself as un-athletic and had never run more than 2 miles in my life. Running made me feel like superwoman. That is, until I discovered a stress fracture in my leg two days before the race.

I was hugely defeated, unable to run or even walk long distances, and couldn’t check “Run a half marathon” off my bucket list. After my two-month rest period, I knew I wanted to get my running mojo back. My solution? Buy myself an expensive and beautiful new pair of running shoes. And, as it turned out, the retail therapy helped me get back into the swing of things.

Over the last few months, I had become insanely lazy with cooking. I could be found microwaving frozen vegetables or eating handfuls of cereal for a meal. I took a hard look at my habits and started to realize that I was a few boxes of Easy Mac short of becoming a frat boy. I realized I needed some external inspiration-some sort of running shoes kitchen equivalent- to get my cooking “mojo” back. A new apron, some new adorable teaspoon measurers, and a trip to the market to see what was in season were all that I needed to get me back into the kitchen.

Last Thursday at the Manassas Farmer’s Market, I discovered the most the most delicious looking strawberries and rhubarb (which I had never actually seen in person). Rhubarb is perhaps one of the strangest looking vegetables. It’s sort of like giant celery. The new apron, the new measurers and my exciting farmer’s market purchases all inspired me to make a pie! A strawberry rhubarb pie- and I knew exactly when and where I wanted to make it.

My dear friend was hosting a “kitchen warming” party last Saturday to celebrate the completion of her kitchen remodel (when a foodie gets more counter space it’s a cause for celebration indeed). The group of friends that gathered for this extravaganza find just as much entertainment in making things from scratch as I do. So I came with pastry cutter, rhubarb, and strawberries in hand prepared to make a delicious pie with some of my favorite people.

We started by making dough (we used this recipe) for the crust, and set it in the refrigerator to cool down (making it easier to roll out). After about an hour, we started to assemble the rest of the pie. The filling included strawberries, rhubarb, tapioca, lemon juice, salt, and granulated and brown sugar. While it was certainly a labor of love, the pie turned out great—tart yet slightly sweet and delicious. If you’re interested in giving it a shot, the recipe is listed below.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (Adapted from a Smitten Kitchen Recipe)

1 recipe double-crust pie dough (Your preference. We used the recipe I linked above)

2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds, untrimmed) rhubarb, in 1/2-inch thick slices

5 cups (about 3 pints) strawberries, halved

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/8 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons whole milk and a dusting of granulated sugar (to glaze the pie before baking)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. We used the brilliant suggestion from Alton Brown to roll out the dough in a large plastic bag (place a handful of flour in the bag) to avoid getting flour on the counter and floor.

Mix rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, lemon, salt and tapioca in a large bowl. Pour the filling into the crust-covered pie pan and place small pieces of butter evenly on the top. Roll second half of pie dough, and place it on top. Take some creative liberties with the crust—cut a few decorative slits and crimp the edges together (with a fork, or a fancier tool, if you have one).

With a pastry brush, brush milk over the dough and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the pie is golden and the juices bubble visibly. Allow the pie to cool and “gel” for several hours before serving. It tastes delicious with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.