Recipe: What to do with leftover turkey? Try topping it with this condiment

In Italian cuisine, a mostarda is used as a condiment to enhance cheese, charcuterie, or cold meat. My favorite pairing, especially at holiday time, is to spoon it atop slices of cold, leftover turkey. Other times of the year I use it on pork or duck.

This Grape Mostarda recipe is from Eric Ripert, the chef-co-owner the acclaimed New York restaurant Le Bernardin. The seedless red grapes are simmered with balsamic vinegar, sugar, and spices to create a sweet and spicy garnish. Stored in clean glass jars the mostarda will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Eric Ripert’s Grape Mostarda

Yield: About 2 cups

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cracked mustard seeds; see cook’s notes

1 cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons dry mustard powder

1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes

Cook’s notes: To crack mustard seeds, put them in a heavy zipper-style bag and pound with a meat mallet or the bottom of a sturdy saucepan just enough to break them up, but not pulverize them. Well yes, some will get pulverized but don’t worry.

PROCEDURE

1. Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, and cinnamon in a deep saucepan and bring to boil on high heat. Continue boiling until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Stir in mustard powder. Add red grapes, pushing them down into a single layer. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until grapes are just barely cooked through. Transfer to clean jars. The mostarda will keep in refrigerator, covered, up to 2 months.

Source: “Avec Eric” by Eric Ripert (Wiley, $34.95)

Cooking question? Contact Cathy Thomas at cathythomascooks@gmail. com

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