Nigel Slater’s midweek treat: rhubarb, orange and ginger crumbs

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Discard the leaves and dry ends from 500g of rhubarb. Cut the stalks into pieces roughly 5cm long.

Place the cut stalks in a baking dish and sprinkle with 2 tbsp of caster sugar. Finely grate the zest from 1 large orange and squeeze the juice; mix the two together, then pour over the rhubarb.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft to the point of a knife or metal skewer. The rhubarb’s exact cooking time will depend on how thick your stalks are. Start testing for doneness after about 20 minutes.

Crumble 250g of ginger cake into large crumbs. (I think ginger cake is the most suitable, the spiciness is a great contrast to the rhubarb, but madeira or lemon cake are good here, too.) Mix the crumbs with 4 tbsp of golden sultanas.

Melt 50g of butter in a shallow pan over a low to moderate heat and stir in the crumbs and sultanas. Let them warm through gently, then turn up the heat a little and let them crisp lightly – just take care that they don’t burn.

When the rhubarb is ready, scatter over the toasted crumbs. Serve with cream, or ice-cream, if you like. Serves 2-3. Ready in 45 minutes.

• I buy an everyday ginger cake for this dish, but it is also good for using up a homemade cake, such as a madeira or plain sponge. You can simply crumble up the cake crumbs by hand or use a food processor.

• The juices in the dish are vibrant and delicious enough to drink. Keep spooning them over the cooked rhubarb as you go.