Giada De Laurentiis Loves Adding Mostarda to Her Cheese Boards, But What Is It?

Diet & Food

Look, we’re always in search of the latest and greatest ways to elevate our cheese boards. And thanks to Giada De Laurentiis, we just found it.

Queen of all things Italian, De Laurentiis loves to give classic, comfort food recipes an Italian twist. Take French onion soup, for example: Her move is to add ciabatta and fontina cheese to the soul-warming dish. Even the all-American apple pie dessert can’t escape De Laurentiis Italian touches; her now-not-so-secret ingredient (and one that even turned our head) is parmesan cheese.

For her cheese boards, De Laurentiis loves to add a classic Italian condiment called mostarda — but what is it?

“When the weather is warm and full of sunshine, your cheese boards and antipasti platters need an equally bright condiment: mostarda,” De Laurentiis writes.

Mostarda, in the words of De Laurentiis, is part relish, part jam, and part chutney. It’s a condiment that’s simultaneously tangy, sweet, savory, and spicy. And the best part is it’s extremely easy to make.

De Laurentiis’ Apricot Mostarda takes less than 30 minutes to make. To start, you’ll need a handful of simple ingredients, like olive oil, kosher salt and sugar, as well as shallots, mustard seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and — most importantly — dried Turkish apricots.

“Aromatics like shallots or onions hangout with fruit and mustard with a bit of vinegar and sugar for a few minutes until just broken down,” De Laurentiis explains.

To make De Laurentiis’ mostarda, cook the shallot in olive oil with a bit of salt, then stir in the mustard seeds and red pepper flakes, followed by the vinegar and sugar. Let the mixture simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Then, whisk in the mustard and chopped apricots, and let it cook until the mixture begins to thicken.

“Once the mixture is cooled completely, it’s an irresistibly sweet and tangy jam that you can serve with any of your favorite cheeses and meats,” De Laurentiis writes.