[Sca-cooks] Re: Mustards

[Louise Smithson]

Jadwiga wrote: 
> Hi guys, can we talk about period cooking?
> What's your favorite mustard recipe?

I made this sweet mustard from Scappi about a year
ago.  In the absence of quinces I used apples.

>From Scappi Cap CCLXXVI, folio 95, 2nd book. 
Sweet Mustard 
Take a pound of sauce of grapes, and an other of
quinces cooked in wine and sugar, four ounces of
"appie" apples cooked in wine and sugar, three ounces
of candied peel of eggplant, two ounces of candied
lemon peel, and half an ounce of candied sour orange
peel, and paste all the candies together with the
apples and quinces in a mortar.  When everything is
ground pass it through a sieve together with the grape
sauce, add to the said material three ounces of
cleaned mustard seed, more or less depending on how
strong you want it.  And when it is passed (mixed) put
in a little salt and sugar finely ground, half an
ounce of cinnamon, and a quarter (of an ounce) of
cloves, and if you don't want to make a paste of the
candies then chop them minutely.  If you don't have
sauce of grapes one can make it without, take more
quinces and apples cooked in the above said manner. 

>From Scappi Cap CCLXXIIII folio 95, 2nd book 
To make sauce of black grapes 
Take black grapes, that are firm, those that are
called "gropello", that is "cesenese", that have a red
skin, break them and put to boil in a casserole on a
low fire for an hour.  After take the juice that they
have made and strain through a sieve.  And for every
pound of juice take eight ounces of fine sugar and put
it to reboil in a casserole, scum it well and to this
add at the end a little salt and whole cinnamon and
let it boil on a slow fire until it takes the cooking
(the implication here is that the sauce reduces and
becomes syrupy) and when it is cooked conserve it in a
glass or glazed pottery vessel. 

Mustardo amabile - sweet mustard 
For the grape sauce: 
1 lb red or black grapes 
4 oz sugar 
1 " stick cinnamon 
For the apples cooked in wine and sugar (note for
feast apples were cooked in water only): 
3 apples 
1/2 cup wine 
1/2 cup water 
1/3 cup sugar 
For the mustard sauce: 
1 oz candied lemon peel 
1 small pinch ground nutmeg 
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 pinch cloves 
1 oz mustard seed ground 
pinch salt 
Take the grapes, break the skins and place in a
covered pot on a low heat for one hour.  Strain the
grapes through a sieve and then strain the resultant
pulpy juice through a jelly bag or cheesecloth.  This
should yield 8 oz of grape juice.  Add the sugar,
return to the pan and bring to a boil.  As it boils
remove any scum that rises to the surface.  Simmer for
about 20 minutes until the sauce reaches a consistency
that is tacky and thick and is before the jelly stage.

Core the apples, chop roughly and place in a pan with
the wine and sugar, simmer until tender.  Remove the
apples from the liquid and press through a sieve or
other strainer, to remove skin and mash apples. 
Blend 8 oz grape sauce with 8 oz of apple mush in a
blender with the lemon peel and remaining spices
including the mustard.  Blend until smooth.  This is a
sweet, tangy, fruity mustard, in every way friendly
(which is the literal translation of amabile).  Makes
enough to fill a 16 oz canning jar, serves 30 for
feast. 

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