Mostarda is fruit cooked in syrup that gains zing from mustard seed or oil. Here we have a tasty grape and fig mostarda, Mostarda di Uva e Fichi. This mostarda will go well with boiled meats and left over roasts. It's also good on toast.
Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 pounds ripe green figs
- 4 1/2 pound white, still sour (unripe) grapes
- 2 ounces powdered mustard
- White wine
- Candied citron, minced
- A fine muslin bag
- Enough sterile canning jars to hold the mustard
Preparation:
Crush the grapes, and squeeze them well in a muslin bag to extract all their juice. Let the juice ferment at room temperature for two days (the yeasts present on the skins of the grapes will be sufficient to start the fermentation).
Once the juice has fermented, wash the figs, without peeling them, cut them into wedges, put them in a steel pot, and add just enough wine to cover. Simmer the figs until the wine has evaporated, stirring them every now and then, taking care not to break the wedges.
Remove about a third of the figs from the pot, add the fermented grape juice to the pot, and continue cooking, stirring frequently. When the liquid has evaporated, dissolve the mustard in a half cup of hot wine and stir it in. Line the sides of the canning jars with the removed figs, and fill the jars with the mustard, laying the candied citron between the layers of mustard. Seal the jars and store them in a cool dark place for 4-5 months. Preparation time, about 2 hours.
Once the juice has fermented, wash the figs, without peeling them, cut them into wedges, put them in a steel pot, and add just enough wine to cover. Simmer the figs until the wine has evaporated, stirring them every now and then, taking care not to break the wedges.
Remove about a third of the figs from the pot, add the fermented grape juice to the pot, and continue cooking, stirring frequently. When the liquid has evaporated, dissolve the mustard in a half cup of hot wine and stir it in. Line the sides of the canning jars with the removed figs, and fill the jars with the mustard, laying the candied citron between the layers of mustard. Seal the jars and store them in a cool dark place for 4-5 months. Preparation time, about 2 hours.
