Rhubarb and Rose Water Jelly

Next time you are in a busy restaurant or bar listen out for the rumblings that seem to be a paen to a seasonal herbacious plant. The sound of 'rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb' might be lost on many but foodies would realise that it is perfectly in tune with the seasons. This late spring and early summer edible plant makes for a wonderful jam or conserve but with the added fragrance of rosewater and Persian limes it becomes a more complex and seductive preserve.
This jelly is ideal for adding depth to stews or caseroles, sweetness to game dishes, a filling for tarts or simply serve with ice cream or a dollop of yogurt. In Turkey and Iran something sweet like this would be stirred into tea or coffee.

Ingredients

1 kg Rhubarb.
400 ml water.
Juice and zest of 4 limes.
1 and a half teaspoons of Rose water
For every 300mls of juice add 200g of sugar.
Method
Chop the rhubarb into chunks and add to a pan with the water. Boil until the Rhubarb becomes mushy. Pour this into a muslin over another pan and let the clear juices run out, preferably, over night. Next add, and disolve, the required amount of sugar with the rhubarb juices. Add the rose water, juice and zest of the limes and boil rapidly. Turn down the heat and simmer gently until the jelly reaches a setting consistency. This could take anything from 30 mins to an hour and a half. To test if the jelly has set pour a spoonful onto a cold plate, leave for a minute, and if it wrinkles when touched its set.
Ken Doherty is a chef and journalist