From Italy with Love: Mostarda Senepata

Hello, dear condiment blog,

How I have neglected you over the long, sizzling summer. But now, with autumn in full flush and chestnuts about to drop from the gnarled trees outside my window, I’m back to regale you with some exquisite condiments from far away. 

The Lake Garda region of Italy, actually. 

A great friend of mine recently returned from a culinary excursion around this region with her friend, Laney Sachs of Ortensia Blu.com. Laney imports carefully curated collection of Italian edibles and wares to the U.S. and offers them through her web site. My friend kindly decided that a condiment lover such as I needed a taste of a few of the edibles Laney has discovered -- many of them through the Manestrini family of Azienda Agricola Manestrini. 

Signor Egidio Manestrini

The Manestrinis have lived on their family compound overlooking stunning Lake Garda -- with the Alps to the north and a Mediterranean microclimate at the south -- for over 150 years. They started producing olive oil from their own trees and made a huge success of it. Over the years and through the joys of relationships developed with small family businesses in the region, they expanded into private label honeys, sauces, jams and mostarda. 

Think Slow Food in action. Old food ways are preserved, new palates get to taste the results and the cycle continues. I was happy to give a few of the products a try. Here's the first, more to follow. 

From the Andrini family in Brescia, this quince mostarda is an extraordinary variation on the syrupy mostardas you may have experienced. (Mostarda is definitely not mustard, but it does combine the intense spices of mustard oil, or essence, or powder with the sweet flavors of candied fruit. Read a detailed description here.)

The Andrini version arrives in a handmade wooden box. Open it and discover a  jewel-like, firm disk, with a reddish/brown  color and a jelly-like texture. Based on an 18th century recipe, this glorious condiment is a blend of quince, candied orange, sugar and mustard. Its flavor is both subtle and complex, sweet and spicy, with the unmistakable heat of the mustard essence rising up as it melts on your tongue. 

Slice it thin and fan it out on a platter with your favorite cheeses, salumi, or other meats. I like to make a little open face sandwich of the cheese and mostarda and experience the soft heat and spice of the mostarda with the texture of the cheese, with or without a cracker. As a condiment, this mostarda compliments rather than overpowers any pairing. 

I also tried it alongside some gorgeous grass-fed lamb ham and lamb pate, both lovingly crafted by Frody Volgger at Caputo’s Butcher Shop in Salt Lake City. Let's just say the combinations were brilliant. As close to Italy as a person can hope to come while sitting in the Rocky Mountains.

You could also simply layer this mostarda on a favorite sandwich – such as roasted turkey breast with arugula on a chewy roll. Or, roll it up with prosciutto. And, apologies to sweet membrillo, a quince-based cousin, but Mostarda Senepata would make a great spicy substitute for membrillo in this Chow.com recipe for a watercress, almond, manchego salad. 

Someday I hope I get to explore the region of Lake Garda myself. Until then, I treasure these authentic tastes of Italy. The quality is extraordinary and the prices are absolutely reasonable. 

Photos courtesy Ortensiablu.com

Not Your Mama’s Kimchi Paste at Zy Restaurant in Salt Lake City

Funny how you can experience a splendid multi-course meal with all its nuances and textures and then end up rhapsodizing about the tiniest dab of a condiment as the pinnacle of that meal. Or maybe it’s just me.

That’s exactly how I feel about the mere dabs of crimson kimchi puree chef Matt Lake and his crew developed for a seared tuna appetizer on Zy’s latest menu. 


The dish consists of a few medallions of delicate seared tuna and a small stack of blue crab set atop a pool of silky green chili tofu puree. Drizzled over all is a hint of lemon syrup. To the sides, the kimchi paste, or puree, adds its come-hither, deep red color. With one little taste, it delivers a spicy, tangy mélange of flavor that resonates as it makes you wonder just what’s going on here. Altogether, these ingredients make   brilliant music together. I could have eaten that appetizer twice, right then and there. Forget the cabbage that traditionally completes Korean kimchi. In this instance, the spicy paste is all you want or need. 

Long after our dinner at Zy, the impression of this truly original small plate presentation lingered. I had to have the recipe. Matt kindly shared it -- and a little background about how the idea evolved in his kitchen:  “One of my line cooks wanted to play with kimchi, so we were making a few variations. But when I tasted this paste by itself, I thought it was pretty cool. So we refined it a little. I then thought of the tuna plate. We worked on the composed dish, building it around this paste. I thought it would be interesting play off the tuna and the green chili tofu for the brightness, and the crab to help enrich the tuna.”  Yep. It worked.

And, restaurant manager Miles Broadhead’s suggestion that we pair the tuna appetizer with a glass of the floral Boutari Moschofilero, a lovely Greek white wine, was spot on.

Zy’s Kimchi Paste

Chef Matthew Lake recommends Assi brand chili flakes. I found this consumer-sized bag at the Oriental Food Market at 667 South 700 East in Salt Lake for about $4. At home, you might just enjoy this brilliant paste with your own sushi grade tuna, or as a counterpoint to some fresh crab, or both.

¼  cup coarse Korean chili flakes

2   cloves garlic

¼  small yellow onion

½  unripe pear

¼  Fuji apple

½  cup rice vinegar

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt to taste, place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to develop.

Matt shared the recipe for the entire dish, but I’m just posting the paste. If you want the full recipe, including the green chili tofu puree and lemon syrup, I’d be happy to share it. Just leave a comment with your email address.