Alpe Pragas Chutney – Mostarda Grill Barbecue
Alpe Pragas' Mostarda Grill Barbecue is a spicy chutney combination of various bell peppers, onions, garlic, and chili, as well as exotic ginger. Gently cooked with only a little sugar and lemon juice, the natural color and aroma profile of the chutney ingredients are preserved. The Mostarda Grill Barbecue from Alpe Pragas is ideal as a piquant accompaniment to grilled dishes, strong cheeses, and aged Pecorino and Parmesan.
- a highlight with cheese and grilled vegetables or meat
- not just sweet, but also spicy and hot
- for refining dishes
- low 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 delve into exotic flavor worlds, they decided in 2001 to create a line of chutneys that would take into account both local fruits and the exotic history of chutney. In collaboration with award-winning chef and author of several cookbooks, Gerhard Wieser, sophisticated 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 mostardas are savory-sweet or sweet-spicy combinations of vegetables, fruits, spices, and indeed mustard powder. His pleasantly hot mostardas pair well with various cheeses, raclette, fondue, cold meats, or 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. Discover 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 1621 in the epic "La secchia rapita" (The Stolen Bucket) by A. Tassoni. At that time, mustard, also known as mostrich, arrived in Italy from France, where it had already become indispensable as a spice in kitchens. If you stroll through the shopping streets in Lombardy in Northern Italy today, you will see colorful mixed fruits hand-layered in huge decorative jars in the windows of small delicatessens or cheese shops. But they are not just sweet, like candied fruits; no, they are piquant, spicy, hot, thanks to the mustard powder that is essential for their production. Mostarda is available in a milder version, as in Cremona or Voghera, but also in a very hot version, as is traditional in Mantua. All sorts of fruits are used, such as oranges, tangerines, cherries, grapes, apricots, pears, and figs. Probably the best-known producer of mostarda and fig mustard sauce in Germany is the company Barbieri. In terms of consistency, the famous Barbieri sauce, served with cheese, is more of a jelly, as the fruits are pureed for it.
However, mustard fruits are not only a perfect pairing with cheese; they are also part of the filling of "Tortellini di Zucca," i.e., pasta pockets filled with pumpkin, as well as 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 by hand, pitted, and cut into small pieces. Then it is mixed 2 to 1 with sugar and left covered for 24 hours. The fruits release juice with the help of the sugar. This is now boiled down without the fruits. And then poured back over the fruits to let them steep again for 24 hours, covered. The next day, the procedure is repeated. On the third day, the fruits are then cooked soft together with the syrup. Only now is the mustard powder or mustard oil used, as it evaporates with heat.
