It's Day 2 of Concord Grape Week. Time for spice and sweet and heat. And grape.
I’ve waited seven months to make this Concord grape moustarda. I did a review of the source, the lovely cookbook Fruitful in March, and longed to try this recipe. But you need Concord grapes that, in March, are mere memories.
A moustarda is an Italian-originated condiment made by combining candied fruit with mustard in a syrup that is often given additional zing from vinegars or herbs or both. Originally used with boiled meats, to aid the palate in the face of those pasty boiled flavor notes, moustarda is now used across the board.
Moustarda adds an element of elegance to a cheese board. This Concord dish would be exemplary with pork loin, chicken, and surely duck. I suppose, for a kick, a dollop of this atop vanilla ice cream or gelato would end the meal with some definite taste sensation.
How does this moustarda taste? In a word: overwhelming. You cannot miss the sweetness of the grapes augmented with brown sugar. There is the sour bite of vinegar, the strike of the shallots and the punch of the mustard. I had thought that the mustard flavor might be overtaken by the grapes, but it is not. To avoid spoiling the balance of this dish, do follow the recipe. Taste test and then make adjustments to your own pleasure.
What does the condiment look like? That picture gives you an idea: deep, dark purple with the heavy skins of the grapes now quite softened but still affording a visible texture.
This is a wonderful condiment, sure to please you, and employable from a meal’s start to finish. Even on that ice cream.
One little thing. Well, a medium thing. This recipe calls for seeding the Concord grapes. When I made this, I skipped that pain-in-the-ass step. I did find myself fishing the larger seeds out of the final product. The smaller seeds had softened during cooking and were not a problem. Larger seeds were. Next time, I’ll follow the tip below. With the harder seeds removed, which took a few minutes fishing around in the cooked product, my moustarda was fine, but authenticity and purity should not be denied.
The seeding tip and other exceptional recipes can all be found in Fruitful: Four Seasons of Fresh Fruit Recipes by Brian Nicholson and Sarah Huck. It’s a serious, yet happy book for fruit lovers.
Concord Mostarda
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Concord grapes seeds removed (see tip, below)
- ½ cup thinly sliced shallot
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
- Pinch chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
Preparation:
In a medium pot over medium heat, combine the grapes, shallot, sugar, vinegar, sage, and chili flakes. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the juices are thick and syrupy, about 30 minutes. Stir in the mustard. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Concord Tip: Seeding Concords can be a messy labor of love. You can leave in the seeds if you're okay with a little extra texture, or to make things easier, spread the grapes on a baking sheet and freeze them for 20 minutes or so. Slice the semisolid fruit in half and remove the seeds with the tip of a paring knife.