Mustard is like hot sauce, a hearty and resilient condiment that’s cheap to produce, easy to put a little twist on and lasts in your unattended refrigerator after everything else has expired. It’s not surprising that everyone wants to get into the mustard business: Go to any decent gourmet market, and you’ll find dozens and dozens of mustard varieties, from Dijon to whole grain to beer to herb to wine to honey. You’ll even find my favorite, fruit mustard.
The Italian mostarda di frutta, a condiment that dates back to Roman times, is usually made with unripe fruit, which is cooked in a syrup and combined with mustard oil.
It is served with bollito misto, a hearty broth filled with pieces of boiled beef, veal tongue, capon and cotechino, a sausage made from the snout of a pig. The spiciness of the mustard cuts through the rich meats, and the fruit tames some of the funkiness of the sausage and the tongue.
At Olivea, I like to make my fruit mustard with dried fruit and Colman’s mustard powder; using cold water to mix the powder, and adding it at the end preserves the hot bite of the mustard. I also finish the fruit mustard with brown mustard seeds, which have lively spiciness and give the condiment a little pop.
Serve fruit mustard with bollito misto, on a sandwich with cold roast pork or even with grilled shrimp.
John Broening cooks at Duo and Olivea restaurants in Denver.
Fruit Mustard
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
2 cups assorted dried fruit (such as golden raisins, sour cherries, apricots and cranberries)
1/3 cup mustard powder
1/3 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups distilled vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown or yellow mustard seeds
Pinch salt
Pinch chile flakes
Squeeze of lemon juice
Directions
If using larger dried fruit, such as apricots, cut the larger fruit into pieces the same size as the other fruit.
Whisk together the mustard powder and the water to make a paste. Set aside.
In a small pot, heat the vinegar and sugar until dissolved and add the dried fruit. Cover and cook over low heat until the mixture is thick and syrupy, about 1 hour. If the mixture becomes too thick, whisk in a little water.
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Whisk in mustard seeds, salt, chile flakes, lemon juice and mustard paste. Chill until ready to use. Serve with charcuterie, pork or game.
