Mostarda Recipe

This easy mostarda recipe can be adapted to any combination of dried and fresh fruit that you have on hand. It’s a slow food, homemade way to jazz up a cheese plate during the holidays or any time of year, and it’s great served on sandwiches, alongside roasted meats, or even spread onto toasted bread.

I have a tendency to go a little crazy on the cheese plates for holiday appetizers. I just can’t help it. There are so many nibbles out there, and I don’t want to miss a single one. And one of the things that zips up a cheese plate like no other is mostarda. What’s mostarda, you ask? It’s an Italian condiment. That fruity, mustard-y, jam-like goodness you’ve eaten on every cheese plate you’ve ever had in your life, but you didn’t know what to call it. Now you know: Mostarda. Say it and everyone with think you are fancy.

Make it and everyone will KNOW you are fancy. (You don’t have to tell them how easy it was.) Why should you make this yourself if you can just buy a jar of jam or buy a jar of mostarda itself? Because what you can get in the jar isn’t always so good. Because you can make it with practically any combination of fresh and dried fruit you have on hand. And because when people ask you what it is, they are gonna freak out when you tell them you made it yourself. Go on – impress people why don’t ya?

This is great for Christmas or New Year’s Eve, but also any time of year that you are entertaining guests, or just yourself! Put it on sandwiches, serve with roasted meats, spread it on toast, the possibilities are endless. It’s a great way to use up fruit before it goes bad, and since it has vinegar in it, it keeps in the fridge for a month or more. It’s a great homemade host gift to take to parties, too.

And yes, it takes three days to make, but DON’T PANIC! Most of that time it’s just sittin’ and chillin’ in the fridge while the fruit macerates.

Related recipes: Make this and put it on a Salami Sandwich with Frico and Mostarda, and for other nibbles to liven up a cheese plate, try some Candied Hazelnuts.

Mostarda 

Adapted from Food 52 (How to Make Mostarda without a Recipe)

Like I said, you can use whatever dried and fresh fruit you like or have on hand. That’s why the “without a recipe” part is so important.

Basically, for each pound of fresh fruit, use 1/3 – 1/2 cup of sugar.

For each 4 cups of the mostarda after it has been reduced over the three day period, use 1 to 2 tablespoons of dry mustard. Then use the ration of twice as much vinegar to mustard. So if you use one tablespoon of dry mustard, use two tablespoons of vinegar.

All you really need to know is how many pounds of fresh fruit you are starting with.

For the recipe pictured, here’s what I used:

2 nectarines, peeled, and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

2 plums, peeled, and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

2 cups dried apricots, quartered

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp dried mustard (plus more if desired)

4 tbsp cider vinegar (plus more if desired)

 

Instructions: 

Peel and chop the fresh fruit and place in a large bowl.

Top the fruit with the sugar and stir. Allow to macerate at room temperature.

Cut the apricots into quarters. Place in a small sauce pan and just barely cover with water. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, set aside to cool.

Pour the dried fruit and liquid over the fresh fruit and stir to combine. Allow to sit for a couple of hours. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 24 hours.

The next day, pour syrup off into a small saucepan. Over low heat, reduce to a thick syrup. Allow to cool, then pour back into the fruit mixture and stir, let sit for a couple of hours. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Repeat this same process, pouring the syrup, reducing it, back in the fridge, etc. on the third day.

On the fourth day in a larger sauce pan, reduce the syrup down again, then add all fruit and bring to a simmer.

For each four cups of fruit, mix two tablespoons of dry mustard with 4 tablespoons of cider vinegar, for a spicy, zippy tang. For milder flavor, start with one tablespoon of dry mustard to two tablespoons of vinegar.

Whisk together and incorporate into the fruit mixture. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then taste to see if it is to your liking. If you want more zip, add more dry mustard and vinegar. Just use the ration of twice as much vinegar to mustard. So you could start slowly with one teaspoon dry mustard and two teaspoons vinegar, etc., then simmer for a bit and taste again.

Store in the fridge, keeps for at least a month.