Rhubarb’s delicious tartness stands in here for the usual tomatillos or tomatoes you’d use in a salsa. This is a great way to appreciate rhubarb besides the usual pies and crisps.
Ingredients
- 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed
- 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, from a can
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- Salt, to taste
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- Salt, to taste
- Corn tortillas
- Minced white onion
- Sliced jalapeño
- Chopped avocado
- Picked cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Toast cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat till dark, toasty and fragrant. Crush to a very coarse powder in a mortar or spice grinder.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat with a little vegetable oil. Blot chicken skin dry with paper towels. Season chicken on both sides with a generous flurry of salt. Place, skin side down, in hot pan. Sprinkle ground cumin over chicken and cook till skin is crispy and a deep golden brown. Flip and cook for few more minutes till chicken is fully cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.
While chicken is cooking, make the salsa. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut rhubarb into approximately 2-inch chunks and place in a single layer on a small baking sheet. Roast till rhubarb is tender, about 10 minutes, more or less depending on the thickness of the rhubarb stalks.
Chuck roasted rhubarb and remaining salsa ingredients into a blender. Process till smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and sugar, if needed.
When you’re ready to eat, chop chicken thighs into slivers, cutting around and discarding the bone. Warm up tortillas, pile chicken, salsa and various toppings into individual bowls and pass around the table for everyone to assemble their own tacos.
