I love mustard, and when I say love, I mean LOVE. I eat it on anything and everything. And not just small quaintites, I buy jumbo sized containers of the stuff because I go through it so fast. Over the past few years I even started taking down others with my mustard eating obsession. Sisters, brothers, even some of the littles are now mustard eating feens. One of my little nieces is now just as bad as me. I don't think I have seen her eat a single meal without a side of mustard. Her favorite snack, clementines and mustard, although sometimes she skips the clementines and just goes in with her fingers. Oh so good. I think that child could possible be mine.
And yes, it's mostly the yellow grocery store variety of mustard being consumed, but yellow mustard is just the tip of the ice berg. There is a whole world of flavors, textures and colors when it comes to the humble mustard seed. Whole grain mustard, to me, is one of the best and easiest to adapt to any persons specific taste. You can make it plan or add in just about any spice, vinegar, even a little sweetness that you might like. One of my favorite variations of this mustard is to skip the vinegar and use picked jalapeño juice. Aah, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
So if you are anything of a mustard connoisseur, you really must, at least once, make your own batch.(It's so easy!) And you will love it and share it with all your friends and they will think you are a bad ass for making your own mustard and your life will just be so great. All because you are now a mustard maker. Yes.
Yellow mustard seeds, brown mustard seeds, apple cider vinegar and salt. The most basic ingredients.
Note- If you want, add in a pinch of any spice that you want.. Chili flakes, granulated garlic, turmeric.... And you can use the vinegar of your choice. I like apple cider because its mellow with a slight sweetness but white or sherry or any vinegar would be great. Even left over picked juice is fantastic too.
In a large jar, combine the mustard seed , twice as much vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cover and let sit for on the counter overnight until the seeds have soften and look almost like caviar.
Now blend those seeds. You might want to add another splash or two of vinegar to help blend and to thin out a bit. Chose how creamy or seeded you like you mustard. I like to make it creamy but seedy so I blend it half way to creamy.
Taste and add another pinch of salt if its needed and……..
You have got mustard! Make sure you have a good snack ready to eat with it.. My go to is carrots. I could eat this all day long.
Enjoy and have a great Tuesday full of mustard and stuff!
-C
Whole Grain Mustard
- 1/4 Cup Brown Mustard Seeds
- 1/4 Cup Brown Mustard Seeds
- 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- Optional..A pinch of Garlic Graduals, Red Pepper Flakes, Curry Powder (Anything you want)
Combine all ingredients into a large jar that has at least a few extras inches for the seed to expand. Leave on counter for 8-12 hours.
Once seeds are nice and soft and have expanded, either eat as is (Mustard seed caviar) or blend the seeds to desired consistency (I like it half smooth, half seedy) Add a pinch more or salt and another splash or two of vinegar to help blend.
Refrigerate and use on anything and everytihng.
There is irish soda bread in your future. I can see it. A nice hardy hunk slathered in butter and honey, crumbs all over the place. 
White whole wheat flour and all purpose flour mixed together. Salt baking soda and buttermilk. That's it.
All the dry whisked together and in goes the buttermilk. Mix together until dough starts to form then dump onto a floured surface. Handling dough as little as possible, knead into ball.
Place on a baking sheet and dust with flour. Take a sharp knife and cut an X through the top about 1/2 inch deep.
The Stuff. A medium sized butternut squash, seeded and diced (no need to peel, but go for it if you want) About a pound of broccoli, (fresh or frozen) and a few shallots. Salt, pepper and a few cups of water. 
The chopped squash and broccoli go into a big pot with about 2-3 cups of water. Add about a tablespoon of salt and pepper. Lid up the pot and place on medium low heat for about a half hour, or unitl squash and broccoli is fork tender. Now blend together with either a emulsion stick blender or place in a blender for 3-5 minutes until completely smooth. Add enough water to keep things moving. Add more water if you want a thinner soup, less for a thicker soup. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Once blended, place back in pot on simmer until ready to serve. 
Finish off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and top with the sautéed shallots.
Before we get to the fries, I just want to mention that yesterday was one of those fantastic winter days that reminds me why I love living in Vermont. Pretty white snow everywhere, the sun was out, and 20 degrees without a gust of wind. The trash dog an I were even able to go for a little hike. It was so nice and soooo sooo needed! 
The carrots and the parsnips are all sliced up into big matchsticks and ready to be baked to crispy browned perfection. I added the oil to the pan to toss the fries in and then sprinkled with a fair amount of salt and pepper. If you don't have and or want to use a cast iron pan, a baking sheet works just the same.
Oh saucy sauce stuff. Tomato puree, sriracha, and yellow mustard. Add a little bit of honey to lighten it up (can use brown sugar if keeping it vegan), a splash of apple cider vinegar and a couple minced cloves of garlic. Topped off with the smokey delightful spice of cumin. I cold eat this on everything…and I kind of did. 
Fries are done, Sauce is ready. Served in super cute tea cups.(from now on I want to serve everything in tea cups.) A perfect side dish, snack, or even a light meal. It lead the mister to ask the question...What pizza? 
One of the best things about winter is that I can have something in the oven at any time and not worry about how hot the house is going to get. I get to spend my free time (or my in between free minutes) baking up all the thing that I would not dare bake in the summer. (lots of bread and cakes) Yeah, I might complain a little about how cold it is outside (to my defense, -20 is kind of a bitch) but then I think of the super hot humid days that come during the summer and cringe. At least when its cold out I am able to get warm, (que oven) but when its super hot and humid, I just turn into something that border lines a wet towel and the rabbit animal… Not so pleasant. 
The stuff, which isn't a whole lot… Flour and salt. A mixture of honey, water, and yeast. And olive oil.
Mix together the wet and dry…I used my nifty dough whisk, but a wooden spoon or even your hand works. Mix mix mix. The dough should be really slack and sticky. And guess what.. no need to knead! Just make sure the dough is uniformly incorporated…hehe.. uniformly incorporated… sounds weird. 
Drizzle the dough (don't worry about making it into a ball, a blob is good) with a little oil and place in a nice warm place topped with a towel to rise for about an hour or until dough has doubled in size.
When dough has finished its second rise, drizzle each with another tablespoon of oil and with your fingers, fill out the pan and indent the dough, kind of like playing a piano or tickling a puppy(?)….Then layer your toppings (if you want any) Start with any herbs, then the veggies. Then last, any cheese you got. 
Pulled from the oven when nice and golden brown..set on a wire rack to cool for a few minute and removed from the pans.
The mister was practically salivating waiting for a slice… and he was so not disappointed.