Grapefruit Mostarda

The Glorious Italian Condiment That Will Become A Staple In Your Kitchen

In the years after my divorce, my son Litton and I started a Sunday brunch routine. We would sidle up to the now defunct Picollo in Portland, Maine (RIP) for scrambled eggs over a bed of (gasp!) mascarpone polenta, crispy bacon and their epic cheese board. With an assortment of three cheeses and their homemade fennel, golden raisin and semolina bread (we will talk about this bread soon), it included a little dish of something I’d never heard of before: mostarda.

When Piccolo closed their doors during covid, I knew I had to make it myself but discovering the right recipe wasn’t easy. Most were loaded with sugar and didn’t capture the bitter, tart and jammy qualities I was seeking. I wanted something to offset the richness of the cheeses; not a cloying sweetness. So, I started recipe testing and this is the sublime result.

The best way to describe mostarda is a savory but still sweet version of a chutney. It almost always has mustard seeds in it and makes use of every kind of fruit you could imagine. It’s Fall and you have apples? Apple mostarda it is. July has arrived and brought the juiciest peaches with it? Yes! But the best in my opinion, the Queen of them all, is this: Grapefruit Mostarda.

Usually served as an accompaniment to meats, mostarda really shines on a cheese board. Or dolloped on a thick slab of cheddar and popped into your mouth. Or placed atop a turkey sandwich. Or eaten by the spoonful in your jammies, while you make happy little animal sounds like “oohmm” and “ahmmm.” Whatever floats your boat.

Make a big batch for Mother’s Day and surprise your Mom (or daughter or best friend or sister) with a fancy cheese board, decked out with homemade mostarda. It’s honestly one of the most perfect things I’ve ever eaten (I’m not exaggerating when I say that) and people will beg for the recipe.

GET THE RECIPE