Eating From the Ground Up

MENUMENU
  • About
  • Recipes
    • By Category

      • Bites
      • Breads and Crackers
      • breakfast
      • drinks
      • Home Dairy
      • Mains
      • On the Side
      • Pickles and Preservation
      • salads
      • Sauces, Dressings and Spreads
      • snacks
      • soups
      • Sweets
    • By Ingredient

      • apples
      • asparagus
      • Beans
      • Beef
      • beets
      • Berries
      • Broccoli and Broccoli Raab
      • brussels sprouts
      • cabbage
      • carrots
      • cauliflower
      • celeriac
      • Cheese
      • Chick Peas
      • Chicken
      • chocolate
      • corn
      • eggs
      • Fish
      • garlic
      • Grains
      • Herbs and Flowers
      • kale
      • leeks
      • lentils
      • pasta
      • pears
      • peppers
      • Pork
      • potatoes
      • Quince
      • radishes
      • rhubarb
      • stone fruit
      • summer squash
      • Tomatoes and Tomatillos
      • winter squash
      • yogurt
  • Not Recipes
    • Family
    • Politics and Activism
    • The Writing Process
    • travels
    • Kids in the Kitchen
    • My Berkshires
    • 1st of the Month
    • The Garden
  • My Books

    • Signed copies from my local bookstore
      From Amazon
      From B&N


    • From Amazon
      From B&N
      From Powell's

    • Front cover The Homemade Pantry
      From Amazon
      From Barnes and Noble
      From Indie Bound

  • Yogurt
  • contact
  • Blog

mustard caviar

Monday, January 14, 2013 by alana

The other night (just before one child threw up, and about 12 hours before the other started running a fever–yes, yes, it’s been that kind of weekend), a friend of mine was over with her two girls so that we could continue some falafel experimentation we had started several weeks earlier. We were working with this gorgeous book with support from this one, and everything from the pita to the sauces just worked. It was one of those meals that I just kept eating long after I was full because the experience of having the food in my mouth was so wonderful, I didn’t want to stop. One of the stars of the sauce array was something similar to what Yotam Ottolenghi calls zhoug, a bright green spicy pesto we made with parsley, mint, green chiles, cumin , cardamom, cloves, and olive oil. We kept passing the zhoug and exclaiming over its wonderfulness, and the whole condiment frenzy got me thinking about condiments in general, and how a good condiment is nothing short of a weapon against dullness. I realized that with that in mind, it’s time we talked about mustard caviar.

Early in December, I went in search of a mustard that was all seeds and no paste, something that would pop in my mouth like my memory of the few times I’ve ever had caviar. I love that pop–from the burst of a pomegranate seed to the orange roe (caviar, too, I know, but…) that has clung to my clothes in every (yes, that’s multiple) Japanese restaurant I’ve worked in. I started playing around with Ashley English‘s recipe for pickled mustard seeds that she had posted here, and immediately I knew that my search would end triumphantly. My plan was to give some version of this away for holiday gifts, which I did, but only after first pulling a visitor over to the fridge, decanting a bit into a smaller jar, and tying the whole thing with a bow, all the while singing the mustard’s praises. The rest of it we ate on everything, and that practice continues.

Mustard caviar is ideal on a ham sandwich, or piled daintily atop what ever slice of cold meat you might be consuming at the moment. Our friend, Morgan, dropped off his homemade pork rillettes right around Christmas, and once Joey discovered the whole mustard caviar/pork rillettes on a slice of bread situation, that was all he ate until the rillettes jar was licked clean. But my favorite use for this genius condiment has so far been the salad that I will never get tired of, that is cold roasted beets, cubed avocado, a little bit of lettuce or arugula, and if I have it, a small handful of finely chopped dill. I sprinkle the whole thing with grains of salt, and then mix a tablespoon of mustard caviar with a tablespoon of olive oil before dumping the whole thing over the vegetables. Toss toss, or if you’re the touchy type with your vegetables, massage, massage, and then it’s done.

I’ve taken to roasting beets a la Tamar Adler, which mostly means that I roast a bunch of beets in a pyrex covered with tin foil until they’re soft, then pull them from their skins, cube, and store satisfyingly in a mason jar for eating through the week (while, of course, being gorgeous the whole time). It’s a great way to remember to eat lunch if you work at home, because why wouldn’t you eat lunch if you had cold roasted beets in the fridge. Also, mustard caviar provides excellent incentive.

Before we get to the recipe, I need to thank you for your quotes. I hope you’ll forgive me if I repeat that again sometime in the future, as I had no idea how wonderful and helpful it would really be to have such good quotes coming into my email constantly over the course of the week. I love to hear what inspires you, and in sharing it, you give me such a gift. Thank you.

Pamela, you won Laurie Coyle’s flowering herbs calender! Pamela quoted Babe Ruth:

“Every strikeout brings me one swing closer to a home run.”

And Celia, you won Anna’s Eat Real Food calendar! Celia quoted Bulgakov:

“You’re not Dostoevsky,’ said the citizeness, who was getting muddled by Koroviev.
‘Well, who knows, who knows,’ he replied.
‘Dostoevsky’s dead,’ said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.
‘I protest!’ Behemoth exclaimed hotly. ‘Dostoevsky is immortal!’”

Thank you so much to everyone who entered, and again to Laurie and Anna for sharing their gorgeous calendars. Winners, send me your addresses, and then watch the mail.

 

Mustard Caviar
makes about 3 cups

adapted from Ashley English  (original recipe here on Design Sponge)

1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/2 cup brown mustard seeds
1 1/4 cup white wine vinegar (can substitute all or half with red wine vinegar)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Combine the mustard seeds, 1 cup of the vinegar, the water, and the salt in a jar. Shake to combine, cover, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.

2. Add the honey, turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon, again shaking well to combine. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes. The mixture will boil and pop.

3. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup vinegar. Transfer back to the jar and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 year. It will be a touch bitter for the first week so best to let it wait–the bitterness disappears as you go into the second week. If it gets too thick as the seeds expand, you can thin it out at any time with a bit of vinegar.

 

Filed Under: Pickles and Preservation, Sauces, Dressings and Spreads Tagged With: Ashley English, giveaways, kitchen inspiration, mustard

« new year, new granola
small things in a great way »

Comments

  1. Michael Schneider says

    Monday, January 14, 2013 at 9:17 pm

    > “what Yotam Ottolenghi calls zhoug”

    Does he really transliterate סחוג that way? Because that’s super-misleading, in terms of the way the word’s actually pronounced in, say, Jerusalem. (Wikipedia uses “skhug”, which is only a little better.)

    The fact is, it’s had to render that word in Roman characters because it begins with a combination of sounds that doesn’t occur in English or any Romance or Germanic languages, which is the “s” sound followed immediately by the voiceless “ch” sound (as in the German “ach”).

    Personally, I use “s’choog” but unfortunately I don’t write about it very often. But if you ever get to the Middle East and ask for “zhoug”, pronouncing that as a typical English-speaker would, no one’s going to have the faintest idea what you want.

    (The only spoken sound that’s worse to try to transliterate into English is the Cyrillic (Russian) Щ, which is pronounced sort of like the “sh-ch” in “fresh cheese”.)

    And, oh yes, the mustard caviar looks fantastic.

    ~MS

    • alana says

      Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:51 pm

      And now I NEED to go to the Middle East and ask for s’choog. For many reasons, but first being that fact that I will pronounce it correctly and then proudly report back to you.

  2. Joey says

    Monday, January 14, 2013 at 9:28 pm

    But MS, it’s so much fun to say “zoog” while eating! Possibly because it brings to mind the evil Zurg from the Toy Story movies.

  3. kate says

    Monday, January 14, 2013 at 9:28 pm

    This past weekend I put in my seed orders for the garden and I decided on a whim to grow mustard this year. I’m going to tuck this recipe away for next fall. Grainy mustard is one of the best condiments there is, I think.

    • alana says

      Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:50 pm

      Yes, yes- I’m realizing that with the ridiculous amount of mustard seeds I go through- it’s time to grow my own! Thank you for the reminder.

  4. Rebecca S. says

    Monday, January 14, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    I looked up your blog because I got your wonderful cookbook for Christmas from my sister, Clare. I love the writing in it as much as I love the recipes and the whole concept. I make my own granola, granola bars, hummus, tzaziki, and such, but you have a whole new world of ideas for my girls (16 and 11) to try. I’ve just made my grocery list and ingredients for the veggie burgers are included!
    All the best to you, Joey, Sadie and Rosie 🙂

    • alana says

      Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:49 pm

      Hello Rebecca! Thanks so much for your kind words- let me know what you think of the veggie burgers! (I don’t even like veggie burgers, and still- I’m a big fan of this recipe–we always have a bag of frozen ones ready to go.)

  5. Rebecca S. says

    Monday, January 14, 2013 at 10:05 pm

    Correction: “a whole new world of ideas for my girls AND I to try.

  6. bojana says

    Monday, January 14, 2013 at 10:34 pm

    i have my mustard seeds ready and i wanted to make some kind of mustard condiment with dark beer, but the way you described this mustard caviar and the fact that it has honey, turmeric and ginger in it, leaves me no choice but to make this, instead.

    • alana says

      Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:47 pm

      Yes, yes- try! It is pretty wonderful. But then try the dark beer option, and report back.

  7. emvandee says

    Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 1:33 am

    There’s a Momofuku recipe for something similar, and it is the most wonderful taste and texture when paired with rice and lettuce and slowwwwwwwwly roasted pork butt. I am in love.

    • alana says

      Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:46 pm

      Oh, I can imagine why that would make sense! You know, I get the Momofuku book out of the library every so often, and I cook something delicious, and he intro pisses me off, and AGAIN I don’t buy the book. I think I need to cave.

  8. Marie says

    Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 11:14 am

    Oooh, another one to add to my list! Hubby is a Mustard Guy the way the Graddaughter is a Ketchup Girl – food is often simply a vehicle for condiments 🙂
    There are almost always cooked beets in the fridge…I put a little local goat cheese in my lunch salads with them.

    • alana says

      Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:45 pm

      Ha! Food is always a vehicle for condiments, in my book. Yes, yes.

  9. Jessica says

    Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    “A weapon against dullness”! I love that.

  10. molly says

    Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 5:41 am

    mustard caviar, seriously? seriously! i think you brilliant.

    for this, and for looking gorgeous while roasting beets. i roast ahead also, but mostly i look like lady macbeth.

    a huge happy new year to you, alana (and a speedy recovery to those poor feverish wee lasses! we had it, also. no fun.)

    xo,
    molly

    • alana says

      Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 3:24 am

      Ha! Oh, Molly, I too look like Lady Macbeth. If only we could truly channel Tamar Adler- she pulls off those beets with such style. But Tamar has her roots and I have mine, and I like to think that although different, we both (and you, too!) do it right in our very own way. Hope health has returned for a while now! xo

  11. sally says

    Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    I feel like I’m stalking this recipe. My mustard seeds have been soaking in the vinegar for almost twenty four hours. I jumped the gun a bit and bought beets at the co-op last night, and I have dill, arugula, an avocado, and some tiny red potatoes. I don’t think I can wait a week. Thank you.

    • alana says

      Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 3:21 am

      Oh, it sound like you’ve got such a good lunch ahead! Have you caved yet? It’s ok if you have- just know that if the mustard seeds taste a little bitter right now, they’ll mellow out over the next several days. But you absolutely have my permission to taste. 🙂

  12. jill maldonado says

    Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 8:24 pm

    Zhoug, please!! We are HUGE fans of all things green and savory and pasty, like salsa verde, pesto and ginger scallion sauce. We put these amazing condiments in soup, on bread, on eggs, on pasta…like you said, vehicular food, really! Now, I MUST make zhoug! None of the recipes I find seem QUITE RIGHT. But I think I’m going to go with one that uses caraway, cardamom, coriander among other things and…orange zest?

    • jill says

      Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 5:09 pm

      Had to follow up with a zhoug report! YES, orange zest was a wonderful addition! I put some zhoug in my pho ga and it was heaven! Perfect way to chase away the chill on these single digit days!

      You always inspire!

      • alana says

        Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 2:22 am

        Yes, of course- orange zest- brilliant! There was no citrus in the actual recipe that I was working with, but I added lemon and it just popped, and orange zest would add such good citrus-y bitterness. And now I’m thinking preserved lemon (because I always think preserved lemon), and another batch might be in order.

        • jill says

          Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 5:38 pm

          sounds perfect!!

Trackbacks

  1. Rice Pudding for Dessert: Happy Birthday Daniel and introducing Jennifer Gandin Le to the blog series on mothering and creativity | Laundry Line Divine says:
    Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 9:33 pm

    […] am a home cook, not a fancy doodle food blogger like Janet at A Raisin and A Porpoise, or Alana at Eating from the Ground Up or Gina of the Chili Contest in a Box book. They might do this differently, but when served this […]

  2. small things in a great way | Eating From the Ground Up says:
    Monday, January 21, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    […] night, we had friends over for dinner. It started as a small thing, a replay of last week’s falafel for the sake of zhoug, but then one thing led to another and the group got bigger until we had the perfect number to […]


Welcome!

I’m Alana, and I write about food, family and the wonderful chaos that ensues when the two combine. If you’re new to the site, here are a few good places to start, or learn more about me on my about page.

Follow me on Instagram.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Become a Sponsor

One_Alana_Ad 2016

alanachernila

The Homemade Pantry, The Homemade Kitchen, Eating From The Ground Up 🍳

Instagram post 2337331591407595410_13442450 Sending off my taxes today with intention and prayer that they will be used to support programs for the most vulnerable, and that my little contribution will join with others to help move us towards the country I know we can be. #taxmagic ✨
Instagram post 2335726864949371764_13442450 Goodies en route to @north_plain_farm today for pickup! Word about town is that LOTS of moolah was raised for BRIDGE in this little #bakersagainstracism bake sale. Thanks to North Plain Farm and @raisinporpoise for the organizing, to everyone who bought and bid, and most of all to BRIDGE for the essential work they do. (Want to learn more about BRIDGE? Head to the link in my profile.)
Instagram post 2332756427273440195_13442450 So technically you’re not supposed to send food when trying to find an agent, but I did it it. 10 years ago, my granola helped seal that deal, and he insisted I send it to publishers when we were selling The Homemade Pantry (another general publishing no no) That Landed-a woman-with-no-platform-a-book deal Granola is up for grabs in this amazing bake sale, as well as goodies by some of my very favorite bakers (@madeinghent , @raisinporpoise , and @thedooryard to name a few). Oh and maybe my favorite item in there are the magical @susanspungen ginger chocolate cookies I mentioned a few weeks back, made by Sadie herself. All of this is to support the work of @multiculturalbridge , and the order form is up in my bio. Get to it! #bakersagainstracism
Instagram post 2330317921708403058_13442450 My friend @afgoldfarb has been part of a team of people working on this vital project. The link to learn more and help out is in my profile.
Instagram post 2330131706816229761_13442450 I’ll be baking up a storm for this! Local bakers- there’s still room for more! Let @north_plain_farm know that you want IN.
Instagram post 2324845496300301430_13442450 To those who ask here? In Great Barrington? YES. In Great Barrington.
Instagram post 2324091364266290851_13442450 I know there are so many resources out there right now, but I want to share one that’s been really helpful for me in the last several months. There are many seasons of this podcast, but I recommend Season 2 on Whiteness as well is Season 4 on Democracy. #sceneonradio
Instagram post 2322615811734696638_13442450 Black lives matter.
Instagram post 2319329508599466327_13442450 I did not bake these cookies, as I am no longer the cookie baker in this house. But this is the second time that  Sadie has made @susanspungen ‘s Triple-Ginger Chocolate Chunk Cookies (and also the second time I’ve talked about a recipe Sadie has made from the #openkitchencookbook), and I think these might actually be the best cookies I have ever had. I’m often looking for the perfect ginger cookie and this is it, and I’d also choose it over a chocolate chip cookie (or let’s be honest-any other kind of cookie) any day.
Instagram post 2316311882260313364_13442450 No matter how many rulers and pizza cutters and other magical tools I use, it seems that the straight line will always elude me.
Instagram post 2314127252740427104_13442450 Living it up. 💥
Instagram post 2312088043104000827_13442450 Every day my neighbor’s yard gets prettier.
Instagram post 2311325683330503572_13442450 @paulaperlis sent us @susanspungen ‘s new book and of course the first recipe Sadie picked is marked with the *project* heading. She’s been cooking all afternoon and the house smells like ✨✨✨ (With gorgeous images by @gentlandhyers ❤️)
Instagram post 2311141543964321092_13442450 When I took on a day job a few years ago, I found that the first thing to go was all the homemade stuff I’d been making and writing about over the years. I’m still going out to work most days, but I’m finding now with a full and captive house and more downtime in general that those things I love to make are back. For me, it’s granola, yogurt, bread. Hello, old friends!
Instagram post 2308503311808232748_13442450 All the things in the house pasta: roasted cauliflower, a few sad leaves of kale, one jar of fancy tuna saved for a special occasion (how about Wednesday?), Rosemary, homemade breadcrumbs from the freezer fried in butter, crispy sage leaves, pasta water, salt, so much pepper. Success!
Instagram post 2307412630968777107_13442450 @artbywoodgy made this beautiful thing for me for Mother’s Day. All the veggies are on Velcro so I can plan to my hearts delight.
Instagram post 2306345003953662730_13442450 Happy Mother’s Day to my brave and beautiful mom, who birthed two different humans in such different times in her life. With me she was so young, and she figured it all out just as she was learning how to be an adult. This picture was taken nineteen years later, when she was pregnant again and I was almost an adult myself. Thanks for keeping at it, Mom, and for always showing up with love. ❤️
Instagram post 2304888771283579843_13442450 What we do for cake.
Instagram post 2302665269449083186_13442450 It’s a magnolia year for sure.
Instagram post 2295808104927071821_13442450 A long time ago, Joey talked about his crush on this particular alien-like flower with a good friend of ours. Months later, little bulbs arrived in the mail. We put them in the ground last fall, and now they are everywhere. If that isn’t some kind of magic, I don’t know what is. ✨ (🙏🏻 to @wildflowers1 for the cool vase, too.)
Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed. New posts will not be retrieved.

There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time.

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time.

My books!

Signed copies from my local bookstore/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

Front cover The Homemade Kitchen

Amazon /B&N /Powell's


Front cover The Homemade PantryAmazon
B&N
Powell's


Tense moments

failed cornbreadPan shattered in the oven? Jelly didn’t set? Trying to find a solution for a problem in the kitchen? Let’s get through the tense moments together, starting here.

Classes and workshops

My latest book!

Learn more about my latest book, Eating from the Ground Up. It's perfect for all you vegetable lovers out there.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

COPYRIGHT © 2025 EATING FROM THE GROUND UP.