Making Mustard
Mustard is one of our most ancient and sacred foods. It is believed that prehistoric humans consumed mustard. There are biblical references to mustard, as well as documented representations from ancient civilizations including Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and Native America. No wonder our forbearers ate mustard: it is an easy to grow and versatile plant, and almost every part of the plant is edible. The greens are stewed in cuisines including Indian, African and Native American and served raw, often as a salad, in cuisines including Greek, Roman and African. The seeds are an important ingredient in Indian, African, Chinese, and Mediterranean cuisines. After pepper, mustard is the most cultivated spice in the world. Mustard fulfills this office as a vital component in curry, or, of course, in a jar of mustard.
Along with its culinary uses, mustard comes to us from the ancient world with a reputation as a curative plant. Those who believe in the curative powers of this herb cite its qualities for digestion and decongestion. It is known as a stimulant not just for the appetite – this is basically how it came to be known as a condiment – but for the blood. Those mustard plasters you hear about in old movies? They rushed blood to the surface of the skin in response to the heat generated by the mustard, and are occasionally used in treatment even today. Mustard is even healthy to eat. By proportion, mustard seeds are high in protein and are cholesterol- and fat-free. Mustard greens contain important elements such as calcium, magnesium and selenium and are a notable source of Vitamin B.
All mustards are crucifers, a family of plants, many culinary, that also includes broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. While mustard plants are cultivated for both culinary and medicinal uses, they are also important to agriculture. As we learned in the previous column, mustard is planted as a ground cover to replenish soil. Once they plants are turned under, they release a significant amount of nitrogen to revitalize the soil, and they offer an almost effortless harvest of greens and seeds before they are turned under.
For gardeners and cooks alike, the most common mustards are Brassica nigra, Brassica alba and Brassica juncea. For the kitchen herbalist, these mustards are known by the color of their seed: black mustard seed from B. nigra, yellow mustard seed from B. alba, and brown mustard seed from B. juncea. Black mustard seeds may adorn your hard roll or be sprinkled throughout your Caribbean curry. Brown seeds may swim through your Asian curry or burn through the mustard on your pu-pu platter. But for Western cooks, the most important mustard seed is yellow, which infiltrates everything from a tin box in the spice cabinet to the pickles and relishes we make when canning season rolls around. Yellow mustard seeds are also primarily what is found in the jars of condiments in the grocery aisle, and that brings us to this column.
Anyone who’s perused those aisles might conclude that mustard is the most popular bottled condiment at the American Table, but actually it is fourth, behind mayonnaise, ketchup and salsa. That noted, the variety of mustard is unmatched, from the neon yellow squiggle we all recognize from the picnic ground to fancy small batch mustards anointed with everything from horseradish to dill. Yes, we can easily buy mustard, but it is simple and rewarding to make our own. In doing so, we are engaging in the history of this important food. Each culture had its own way of preparing the condiment, from German beer mustard to Chinese hot mustard. But perhaps the most popular is French Dijon mustard, in which finely ground yellow mustard is slowly stewed with infused white wine. Dijon mustard is so important to French cooking that, like Champagne, in order to correctly wear the label, the product must be made by a specific method and only in the so-named area of the French republic. Here is Urban Home Blog’s recipe for Dijon-style mustard.
Dijon-Style Mustard
You can use any bulk powdered mustard seed to make this condiment, either from your own food-safe mustard plants or from a reputable herb supplier. This fresh canning recipe is not appropriate for hot water bath or pressure canning.
1-1/4 cup powdered yellow mustard seed
1/2 cup water
2 cups dry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Chablis
1 medium yellow onion
3 medium garlic cloves
1 sprig fresh thyme, rosemary or tarragon
1 teaspoon salt
Along with its culinary uses, mustard comes to us from the ancient world with a reputation as a curative plant. Those who believe in the curative powers of this herb cite its qualities for digestion and decongestion. It is known as a stimulant not just for the appetite – this is basically how it came to be known as a condiment – but for the blood. Those mustard plasters you hear about in old movies? They rushed blood to the surface of the skin in response to the heat generated by the mustard, and are occasionally used in treatment even today. Mustard is even healthy to eat. By proportion, mustard seeds are high in protein and are cholesterol- and fat-free. Mustard greens contain important elements such as calcium, magnesium and selenium and are a notable source of Vitamin B.
All mustards are crucifers, a family of plants, many culinary, that also includes broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. While mustard plants are cultivated for both culinary and medicinal uses, they are also important to agriculture. As we learned in the previous column, mustard is planted as a ground cover to replenish soil. Once they plants are turned under, they release a significant amount of nitrogen to revitalize the soil, and they offer an almost effortless harvest of greens and seeds before they are turned under.
For gardeners and cooks alike, the most common mustards are Brassica nigra, Brassica alba and Brassica juncea. For the kitchen herbalist, these mustards are known by the color of their seed: black mustard seed from B. nigra, yellow mustard seed from B. alba, and brown mustard seed from B. juncea. Black mustard seeds may adorn your hard roll or be sprinkled throughout your Caribbean curry. Brown seeds may swim through your Asian curry or burn through the mustard on your pu-pu platter. But for Western cooks, the most important mustard seed is yellow, which infiltrates everything from a tin box in the spice cabinet to the pickles and relishes we make when canning season rolls around. Yellow mustard seeds are also primarily what is found in the jars of condiments in the grocery aisle, and that brings us to this column.
Anyone who’s perused those aisles might conclude that mustard is the most popular bottled condiment at the American Table, but actually it is fourth, behind mayonnaise, ketchup and salsa. That noted, the variety of mustard is unmatched, from the neon yellow squiggle we all recognize from the picnic ground to fancy small batch mustards anointed with everything from horseradish to dill. Yes, we can easily buy mustard, but it is simple and rewarding to make our own. In doing so, we are engaging in the history of this important food. Each culture had its own way of preparing the condiment, from German beer mustard to Chinese hot mustard. But perhaps the most popular is French Dijon mustard, in which finely ground yellow mustard is slowly stewed with infused white wine. Dijon mustard is so important to French cooking that, like Champagne, in order to correctly wear the label, the product must be made by a specific method and only in the so-named area of the French republic. Here is Urban Home Blog’s recipe for Dijon-style mustard.
Dijon-Style Mustard
You can use any bulk powdered mustard seed to make this condiment, either from your own food-safe mustard plants or from a reputable herb supplier. This fresh canning recipe is not appropriate for hot water bath or pressure canning.
1-1/4 cup powdered yellow mustard seed
1/2 cup water
2 cups dry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Chablis
1 medium yellow onion
3 medium garlic cloves
1 sprig fresh thyme, rosemary or tarragon
1 teaspoon salt
- Measure the dry mustard into a medium mixing bowl.
- Measure the water into a mixing cup with a spout. Use one hand to slowly pour the water in a thin stream into the dry mustard while using the other hand to use a wire whisk to mix the water into the mustard. Once mixed, the mustard-water mixture should be smooth, thick and fragrant.
- Peel the onion and remove the root and stem ends. Place the onion on a clean cutting board reserved for vegetables. Halve the onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into thin crescents. Cut across the crescents to form dice.
- Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center.
- Cut a square of cheesecloth slightly larger than the herb sprig. Place the sprig and the garlic cloves in the cloth. Wind the cloth tightly around the aromatics and tie the cloth with kitchen twine to form an herb sachet.
- Measure the wine into a medium saucepan. Add the diced onion, the herb sachet, and the salt to the wine.
- Turn the burner to medium. Bring the seasoned wine to a simmer, approximately three minutes. Simmer the seasoned wine until reduced by half, approximately fifteen minutes.
- Once the wine has been reduced by half, turn off the burner.
- Use one hand to hold a sieve over the bowl containing the mustard-water mixture and the other hand to slowly and safely pour the wine through the sieve into the bowl. The sieve will capture the solids from the wine. It is okay if the mustard-water mixture is very thick, even paste-like - the hot wine will break that up.
- Set the sieve and the sauce pan aside. Use the wire whisk to thoroughly incorporate the wine with the mustard.
- Use a silicon spatula to transfer the hot mustard to storage jars.
- Refrigerated, the mustard should stay fresh for up to a year.
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