The prickly pear mostarda , an original Sicilian recipe , is a fruit dessert that is made during the summer and which offers pleasant moments of gluttony. To many it reminds of childhood, the kitchen pervaded by an irresistible aroma and the expectation of being able to taste it.
Preparing the Sicilian prickly pear mostarda is a matter of tradition: it includes picking the fruits – not free from thorns – directly from their shovels, and patient cleaning. All essential operations for an impeccable realization of the dessert.
The original recipe for prickly pear mostarda
For the preparation of the dessert you don't need much, the real protagonists are the figs , which must be fresh and ripe at the right point. In addition to these, get some starch , which you will need to thicken the mixture, and spices (cinnamon is the most popular). How to make prickly pear mustard ? Here's what it takes.
Ingredients
- 30 prickly pears
- cornstarch
- cinnamon powder
Preparation
- Clean the prickly pears and cut them into pieces. Pour them into a large pot and light the flame, which must be kept medium. Stir occasionally.
- As soon as they are pulped, put out the flame and filter what has been obtained. Thus, the liquid deprived of all the seeds will remain. Pass it through a vegetable mill and filter again.
- Pour the liquid back into the pot and let it reduce by half. Now weigh it and calculate 100 g of starch for each litre.
- Join it together with the cinnamon and mix over a low flame until you have obtained a creamy consistency.
- Transfer it into the appropriate molds and, once cold, place them in the fridge overnight.
How to dry prickly pear mustard?
The next day, take it out of the molds and serve it on plates, perhaps sprinkled with chopped almonds . But this is not the only way to enjoy it. In fact, it can also be dried .
How to dry mustard ? Once taken out of the moulds, it can be exposed to the sun until it hardens. It will be important to turn it from time to time. Avoid humidity as it could make it mouldy.
The collection of prickly pears
Prickly pears grow luxuriantly on the island. You can find them in white, red (more fuchsia, actually) and yellow. The fruits must be collected with great care as they are difficult due to the numerous and invisible thorns that cover them. To take them from the plant, a layer of the ' shovel ' is cut, in order not to deprive them of their external protection.
