Rhubarb Lamb Rub Jelly

Every Easter my grandfather would make his lamb and without failure he would coat it with mint jelly. Needless to say I grew to dislike mint jelly greatly. As an adult I figured it was high time to come up with something a bit different then that which my grandfather used so I now use a Rhubarb jelly to do what the mint jelly did previously.
 
During the rhubarb season you can often obtain stalks of the plant for the mere asking. Many homeowners who had previously planted it do not even harvest and use it anymore. When I make the Rhubarb jelly I like to add some lovely rosemary flavoring to it as well. It only takes a few rosemary plants to provide an abundance of flavor to your soups and meats. Rosemary tends to grow quickly and is generally easy to train on trellises.
 
The fragrance of rosemary can not be mistaken anywhere. You merely need to brush against it to release its aroma for all to smell. The plant willingly givers up its lovely fragrance for all to enjoy. You can use a few of its branches to add a delightful flavor to pork tenderloin or to season poultry with in conjunction with garlic and other herbs.
 
With such flavors available why not gracefully combine the rhubarb and the rosemary to create a tasty jelly that can be used to add some excitement to a leg of lamb or to chicken. Here is a great recipe that should kick start just about any type of meat you put it on.
 
This jelly is easy to prepare and takes only 45 minutes to create. It is certainly a delicious alternative for the traditional mint jelly of my grandfather's day. To make it you would need:
 
1 pound of rhubarb
1 3/4 cups of water
3 1/4 cups of sugar
1/3 cup of white vinegar
3 tablespoons of chopped rosemary
Two 1/4-ounce packages of unflavored gelatin
 
Cut 3 cups of rhubarb crosswise in ½ inch slices. Mix together the rhubarb, water, sugar, rosemary and vinegar into a 4 quart pot. Bring to a rapid boil and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. At this point you will notice that the rhubarb starts to disintegrate.
 
In a small glass bowl sprinkle the gelatin into ¼ cup of water and let sit for 1 minute. Now remove the pot from the heat and combine the gelatin mixture to the pot with the rhubarb in it. Stir mixture well until the rhubarb and gelatin are blended together.
 
Pour the resulting mixture into a sieve being sure to gently press any of the solid pieces through. Skim off the resulting foam and ladle into hot sterilized jars. Leave 1/8^th inch head room in the top of the jar. Wipe the edges and place the lids firmly onto the jars. Cool jars completely.
 
This jelly rub will keep for several months when refrigerated.
 
Copyright @ 2009 Joseph Parish