Introducing the Alpe Pragas Chutney: Apple & Onion Mostarda
The Apple & Onion Mostarda is an Alpe Pragas Chutney, a sweet and savory combination of finely diced apples and onions, rounded off and refined with garlic, star anise, cinnamon, and pepper. Gently cooked with only a little sugar and lemon juice, the natural color and aroma of the chutney ingredients are preserved. We recommend the Apple Onion Mostarda with aged mountain cheese and grilled meat. A spoonful of mostarda refines homemade vinaigrette for lamb's lettuce.
- a highlight with cheese and cold meats
- not just sweet, but also savory and spicy
- for refining dishes
- low in sugar
- no artificial additives
- no preservatives
- free from artificial colors
- no artificial flavors
- gluten-free
- vegan
Alpe Pragas from South Tyrol has long been known for its excellent fruit spreads, some of which are made with fruits from their own cultivation. To also dive into exotic taste worlds, they decided in 2001 to produce a line of chutneys that would take into account both local fruits and the exotic history of chutney. In collaboration with the award-winning chef and author of several cookbooks, Gerhard Wieser, refined recipes were developed that find a wide and interesting range of applications.
Stefan Gruber does not produce "Mostarda di frutti" in the classical sense; his mostarde are spicy-sweet or sweet-spicy combinations of vegetables, fruits, spices, and mustard powder. His pleasantly spicy mostarde go well with various types of cheese, with raclette and fondue, with cold cuts or with BBQ. They can be used to refine dishes, glaze duck breast or ribs. Thus, they are not only a perfect accompaniment, but also an indispensable cooking ingredient. Find your favorite combination, your food pairing match.
Mostarda – a centuries-old Italian tradition
Mustard fruits, Mostarda di frutta, are part of Italy's cultural heritage. They were already mentioned in A. Tassoni's epic "The Stolen Bucket" in 1621. At that time, mustard, or "mostrich" as it was also called, came from France, where it was already an indispensable spice in kitchens, to Italy. If you stroll through the shopping streets in Lombardy in Northern Italy today, you can see the colorful mixed fruits hand-layered in huge decorative jars in the shop windows of small delis or cheese shops. But they are not just sweet, like candied fruits; no, they are piquant, spicy, sharp, thanks to the mustard powder that is essential for their production. Mostarda comes in a milder variety, as in Cremona or Voghera, but also very sharp, as is traditional in Mantua. All kinds of fruits are used, such as oranges, tangerines, cherries, grapes, apricots, pears, and figs. Probably the most famous German manufacturer of mostarda and fig mustard sauce is the Barbieri company. In terms of consistency, the famous Barbieri sauce, served with cheese, is more of a jelly, as the fruits are pureed for it.
But these mustard fruits don't just make a dream pairing with cheese; they also belong in the filling of "Tortellini di Zucca," i.e., pumpkin-filled pasta, as well as with Bollito misto. They crown crostini with Parma ham, as well as roast beef or grilled duck breast.
Mostarda Production – an elaborate process
First, the ripe fruit is peeled, pitted, and cut into small pieces by hand. Then, it is mixed with sugar in a 2:1 ratio and left covered for 24 hours. The fruits release juice with the help of the sugar. This juice is then reduced without the fruits. Afterwards, it is poured back over the fruits and left to steep, covered, for another 24 hours. The procedure is repeated the next day. On the third day, the fruits are then cooked gently together with the syrup. Only now is the mustard powder or mustard oil added, as it evaporates with heat.
