The smallest seeds of this sun-loving plant with yellow flowers and edible leaves can give us a whole gastronomic world – with an incredible variety of colors, textures, aromas and tastes.
This savory condiment deserves more honor and fate than we usually give it on the edge of our plate. Mustard is indispensable in dressings for green salads, in the creation of sauces and homemade mayonnaises, stews or oven-baked dishes. Such a variety of possibilities is given to us by only two types of mustard seeds – brown Brassica junceade and white Sinapis alba – from two different plants of the same family. In the preparation of mustard over the past three thousand years, only the technique has changed, the recipe itself has remained unchanged. In China and ancient Rome, its grains were soaked to swell, then crushed in stone mills to make grainy (so-called old) mustard, or rubbed through a sieve to get a finer texture (regular, or Dijon mustard). This spice is delicious without any additives, but in the West a tradition has arisen to add grape must to it to enhance the piquancy and aroma. Later, vinegar and white wine were added to the mustard, sometimes the mixture was sweetened with sugar, honey or caramel, ennobled with other seasonings: turmeric, which gives sunny yellow thin varieties of mustard, green spicy herbs, capsicum, tomatoes or saffron.
You can do culinary creativity based on mustard at home, in your own kitchen. Try adding (depending on the dishes you are going to serve mustard seasoning to) fragrant herbs, lemon and nut butter to it; chopped and mixed with heavy cream shallots; grated ginger with coriander and natural yogurt; a mixture of peppers with a drop of mayonnaise and lemon juice; puree (tapenade) of olives, thyme and mashed anchovy; balsamic vinegar, honey and a pinch of hot pepper; a spoonful of bitter orange jam …
Roll with three types of mustard
For 8 persons. Preparation: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 3 hours.
- 1,8 kg pork tenderloin
- 1 Art. l. Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. l. granular mustard
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 2 st. L. Honey
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 8 sage leaves
- 1 Art. l. vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
Remove fat and films from meat; Peel the garlic by cutting large cloves in half. Arrange the meat on a board, salt and pepper, cover with sage leaves and garlic cloves. Wrap the roll so that the garlic and spices are inside, and tie it with cooking string. Mix all three types of mustard with honey, coat the roll with this mixture and place in a baking dish, lightly brushing it with vegetable oil. Place the mold in a cold oven, turn it on at 180°C and leave for three hours. Turn the meat several times during cooking, adding a little water if necessary. Serve the roll cut into slices along with vegetables of your choice. It can also be served cold. In the same way, you can cook beef tenderloin, baking it for only two hours.