The Rural Voice, 1990-12, Page 42PEACE ON
EARTH THIS
CHRISTMAS
We wish to thank our
customers and friends for
their support in 1990
and we look forward to
continuing to serve you
in the coming year.
May the peace and joy
of the Christmas season
be yours in 1991.
u
R. R. 4 WALKERTON,
519-881-2231
1-800-265-3883
38 THE RURAL VOICE
HAVE A SPICY CHRISTMAS
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Amid all the candies, cookies,
cakes, and gooey, sticky concoctions
made at Christmas, there should be a
spot reserved for the more savoury
side of tradition. In our Christmas
portfolio there are some interesting
spicy recipes. Reigning foremost
among them is one for mustard. We
know that mustard has been used for
the past 3,000 years because of the
discovery of mustard seeds in
Egyptian tombs. Romans took seeds
to France and showed them along the
roadsides.
For many people, mustard is the
creamy, pungent, brilliant, yellow
mixture slathered on our hotdogs. For
others, it is the pale, hot, flavoured
Dijon we use on our hams and cold
cuts. The basic recipe involves the
blending of spices and vinegars with
the crushed, black, brown, or yellow
mustard seeds.
For our family holiday roasts and
hams, we would beg a few teaspoons
of beer from my Dad to blend with the
powdered Keenes mustard. At times
Mother would fuss over the mixture
and add brown sugar and a dab of
ginger. While the main reason for
using Keenes mustard was because it
was hot, it was not her intention to
burn our tender palates with too strong
a flavour. Although the directions
called for water, Mother frowned on
such simple advice and our hot
mustard somehow just wasn't right
without the beer. To our young
minds the idea of eating something
flavoured with beer added another
thrilling aspect to the festive dinner.
There are as many variations of
mustard recipes to tickle your palate
as there are lovers of this spicy
condiment. Chinese mustard is sharp
and hot, often with a touch of soy
sauce added; Polish and German
mustards are very dark, sweet, and not
pungent; Italians produce mostarda, a
kind of relish made from fruits
preserved in sugar and mustard; and
American ballpark mustard, a mixed
mustard with a large amount of yellow
seeds and tumeric has it own
following.
Mustard comes in three forms.
Powdered dry mustard is ground
mustard or mustard flour and is
referred to as the hot English type.
The powder can be directly added to
the cooking pot but one has to be
careful. Water or any other liquid
releases the volatile oils within ten or
fifteen minutes of mixing. After an
hour, the oils evaporate along with all
their desirable piquancy.
Prepared mustard, or mustard
paste, is a mix of seed, salt, and
vinegar, or some other liquid, and
often some additional spices. This
includes Dijon and the hot dog type
mustards.
Lastly, there is the mustard seed.
Mustard oil is pressed from the seed
and used as an odourless cooking
medium in India and many other Third
World countries. In comparison with
other warming spices, mustard is the
all-time champion. Chili pepper
affects the back of the throat, and
black pepper affects the top of the
tongue, but mustard causes sensations
throughout the whole mouth.
Homemade mustards make nice
gourmet gifts for friends and can be
quite fun to make along with a few
friends to try out the different
combinations.
Wine vinegar, simmered together
with the dregs of a wine bottle until
slightly reduced, makes a good base.
Use a mixture of yellow and black
mustard seed in the ratio of two
yellow to one black.
The following recipe is from New
Zealand.