Rhubarb and Banana - really?

I love rhubarb.  The bright pinkish red of the first forced rhubarb of the year appeared on the market and I couldn't resist buying a handful.  Normally we eat it paired with apple in a crumble or as a counterfoil to the rich creaminess of a sweet custard filled tart.  But pairing it with banana as suggested in my 1974 cookery year seemed a bit odd.

The recipe was for a rhubarb and banana compote and basically involves brasing the rhubarb in orange juice and sugar until it was soft then mixing with sliced banana and allowing it to cool.  Mr Vitty was a bit sceptical as was I but it tasted alright and went quite well with some natural yoghurt we had in the fridge.  There are many better things to do with rhubarb and bananas, nevertheless here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb Rhubarb
6 oz Caster Sugar
Juice of an Orange
1 lb Bananas

Method:

Trim the rhubarb and chop into 1 inch pieces.  Put the rhubarb in an oven proof dish with the sugar and orange juice. Cover with a lid and bake for 35 minutes at 150 C until the rhubarb is soft.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Slice the banana into a serving dish and pour over the rhubarb with its juices.  Cool and chill in the fridge.  Serve with cream or ice-cream (or in my case yoghurt).