Mostarda di Cremona recipe

[Kerry Beal]

So now I need to figure out which one of you I can convince to send me some in Belgium!!!  There's chocolate in it for you!!!

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Are there no import stores in your area?

In addition to the Italian product, there is one made in Sweden, that is used in pickles (mustard pickles, naturally) and is essentially the same food product, as opposed to the "stuff used on the skin for chest congestion."

I just learned this while chatting on the phone with a basenji breeder who lives in Sweden and whose mother still makes her own pickles, pickled herring and other "homey" foods. (And doctors the family with home remedies, including the famous mustard plaster, which Mia states she and her siblings took care to always exhibit a facade of good health to avoid!)

She has given me some great recipes since I first met her in the late '70s so I am pretty sure she knows her stuff.

She spelled it for me - senapsessens olja -

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I've checked with the Italian importers here and it's not something that they are able to import.

Haven't tried the Swedish importers yet though.

[andiesenji]

Check in middle eastern stores too. They also make mustard pickles at home.

My favorite middle eastern store that was here in Lancaster closed three months ago. (Sob!)

(Building being torn down to make room for an industrial park.)

And they carried mustard oil. I don't know if it was the Italian product because I never looked that close. They had it in a cabinet with the expensive spices and essences.

[Katie Meadow]

Now that this thread has turned into "How can I make Mostarda in the most dangerous and difficult way possible," I just want to thank someone upthread who suggested strong cheese as a good accompaniment. I made my usual over-the-counter Batali version that uses good old fashioned Colman's mustard powder and took it to a party with my usual coppa. Someone had brought a Cambazola so I tried it with that and it was wonderful. I have a Stilton and some kind of young pecorino here, so I'm going to indulge in my newfound combo NOW--while you all are waiting for your illegal pharmaceutical shipments packed in a Maltese falcon or something! eGers, you are a scream!

[weinoo]

I just want to thank someone upthread who suggested strong cheese as a good accompaniment. I made my usual over-the-counter Batali version that uses good old fashioned Colman's mustard powder and took it to a party with my usual coppa. Someone had brought a Cambazola so I tried it with that and it was wonderful. I have a Stilton and some kind of young pecorino here, so I'm going to indulge in my newfound combo NOW--while you all are waiting for your illegal pharmaceutical shipments packed in a Maltese falcon or something! eGers, you are a scream!

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Oh, that must've been hathor .

[divina]

I won't be back down in Florence until after Christmas but can send some up to Belgium..

no problem!

[Kerry Beal]

I won't be back down in Florence until after Christmas but can send some up to Belgium..

no problem!

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Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[StevenC]

I've been doing some research into this. The authentic ingredient, mustard seed oil, is a distillate of the chemical (Allyl isothiocyanate) that results from the reaction of two components in mustard when the seeds are ground and mixed with water or another liquid. It's apparently banned as an additive in the United States, and I can understand why... years ago, my grandmother brought a bottle back from Italy to use in making mostarda. When she's open the tiny bottle, she'd put a wet dishcloth over her face and add no more than a single drop of liquid to the mostarda. Even with this minute amount, the entire kitchen would immediately fill up with a noxious mustard smell, burning your nasal lining. The mostard was fantastic, however. It had the same effect as a powerful kick of wasabi.

I'm thinking of grinding black mustard seeds in a mortar and then soaking them in some grain alcohol--I think the chemical in question may be more soluble in alcohol than in water. Afterwards, I'd add it to the mostarda. Has anyone every tried something like this?

[GNO]

I am hoping to make a batch of mostarda di mele today. Some of the recipes listed above, including Mario Batali's calling for seeds as the only form of mustard, are not at all like what I've eaten in Italy. I have been told to get mustard oil, which you can buy in the U.S. at better spice stores like Kalyustans in New York. The FDA makes the manufacturer label it for external use only, as it us extremely pungent (only a few drops are required), and needs to be handled with caution. Indian stores also sell the same thing. Powdered mustard like Colemans also don't come close either. I believe mustard "essence" is also not as strong as the oil traditionally used, and it is meant for use as a herbal remedy to treat depression, not for cooking. For the record, senape in italian just means "mustard".

[andiesenji]

I make mostarda - with candied fruits - and I use Naturally from Nature Spicy Mustard Oil that is for CULINARY use.  And for uses other than specifically for mostarda - there are suggestions in the little hang tag that comes with each bottle.

 

It is milder and easire to adjust the "bite" of the syrup to the degree one likes. 

 

I have used the other stuff in the past and had to discard an entire batch because just a drop too much was WAY too much!

 

It is available from a couple of vendors here in the U.S.   The first bottles I ordered came from a vendor in Australia, before it was available here.

 

Honest Foods.com is the vendor I use.

 

 

 

 

[Maedl]

The question that occurs to me is whether mustard oil and mustard gas are closely related. From the sound of the discussion, I suspect that they are.

Apothecaries in Germany and Italy are great sources for arcane ingredients. I have bought bitter almonds in my local apothecary--after signing a book recording sales of controlled/dangerous substances. You can usually find baking ammonia there when it is out of season at grocery stores, and even herbs. I was having trouble finding fennel seed in the groceries, but was able to buy it at the apothecary.

[GlorifiedRice]

Is there any Senape powder?

[andiesenji]

Is there any Senape powder?

[GlorifiedRice]

Mustard powder = senape powder.    Exactly the same stuff.  You can easily find the yellow (white) and sometimes the black or brown, but the two latter are sometimes hard to find.  A local Indian store carries them.  Slightly hotter than the white.

  

[andiesenji]

fortedei   Says its 2 different things... hhhmm

Senape is the ITALIAN word for mustard.

 

Here is a definitive explanation of the spice and its uses.