Mustard Greens
I’ve come up with 10 ways to use mustard in your spring pantry:
1. Mustard Vinaigrette
Mustard Vinaigrette is lovely as a dressing for spring vegetables. In Jamie Oliver’s Magazine Issue 18 for April/May he includes a recipe for “Leeks with Mustard and Dill Vinaigrette and Feta.” You could use this preparation for steamed asparagus or artichokes as well. Most recipes for mustard vinaigrette call for the use of a prepared mustard, in this case it’s Dijon.
2. Mustard Mayonnaise
Mustard is often used as a flavoring for mayo or aioli. In the book, Barefoot in Paris, Ina Garten suggests the traditional pairing of mustard mayo with a seafood platter. Picture this: a glass of champagne in your hand and in front of you a tray of raw oysters and little neck clams with cooked lobster, shrimp, and crab on a huge bed of ice. Dip the seafood in the mustard sauce and sip your champagne without a care in the world. Sounds like a very happy happy hour to me.
3. Asian Style Steamed Mustard Greens
Melissa Clark’s book, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, is based on her New York Times column by the same name. The book contains a recipe for “Steamed Wild Salmon with Mustard Greens, Soy Sauce and Ginger” that she thought up when looking for a healthy dish with big flavors. Pairing the spicy mustard greens with ginger will certainly wake up your palate.
4. Make Your Own Mustard
The process for making mustard is pretty straightforward in Darina Allen’s book, Forgotten Skills of Cooking. Her recipe for whole grain mustard uses vinegar, mustard seeds, and honey. Why not give it a try? I love discovering new flavor combinations when it comes to mustard. The French like to flavor mustard with tarragon or cassis (a black currant flavored liquer). Martha Stewart has a recipe for dried apricot mustard in her book, The New Classics. In Bouchon, Thomas Keller shares recipes for artichoke mustard and fennel mustard.
5. Southern Greens
In the south, mustard greens are cooked with onions and garlic as well as ham or bacon. Southerners often combine mustard greens with other greens like collards. Corn bread is an important accompaniment to soak up the “pot likker” -juices from the cooked greens.
6. Mustard Sauce
Prepared mustard is often used to make mustard sauce. In her book, Nigella Express, I’m so glad Nigella Lawson includes “Mustard-Caper Sauce for Broccoli.” Zesty sauces with bold flavors are a good pairing for broccoli. Patricia Wells has a recipe for “Smoked Salmon with Dill Mustard Sauce” in Vegetable Harvest. She incorporates prepared mustard, lemon and crème fraîche with dill and drizzles it over a platter of smoked salmon. Creamy rich plus tangy bitter, always a good combo.
7. Mustard With Mussels
In Bouchon, Thomas Keller refers to mustard and mussels as a traditional pairing in France. He creates a broth with white wine, prepared mustard, thyme and saffron which is used to quickly cook the mussels. Sweet mussels plus the bite of bitter mustard. Interesting. Definitely going to need a beer with that.
8. BBQ Rubs & Sauces
Dried mustard powder is used to add piquancy to dry BBQ rubs. Dan Hayward of the Savory Spice Shop in Boulder, Colorado uses dried mustard in combination with maple sugar, smoked sweet paprika, chiles, and garlic for his “Pearl Street Plank Rub”. This rub is meant to be used on cedar plank grilled salmon.
9. Roast Rabbit or Chicken
“Mustard Rabbit in the Oven” is a recipe from A Platter of Figs by David Tanis of Chez Panisse. He cuts the rabbit into pieces and marinates it overnight with Dijon, crème fraîche, garlic, bacon, bay leaves, and extra mustard seeds for a kick. In Burgundy, it is common to slather chicken with mustard and roast it. I know regular roast chicken is so good it’s hard to branch out and try this, but maybe it’s time to try something new?
10. Indian Soup
Brown mustard seeds are used often in the cooking of southern India where they dry roast the whole seeds and then heat them in oil to contribute a nutty flavor in recipes. The mustard does not taste pungent because water, not oil activates the pungent tasting enzyme myrosinase. Jamie Oliver has a recipe for “Southern Indian Rice and Seafood Soup” in his book Jamie’s Dinners. The soup combines brown mustard seeds with several spices and chiles, coconut milk, lime, cilantro, basmati rice and shrimp. It sounds amazing. Definitely put that on the list.