Rhubarb-Fennel Mostarda {Easter}

Though a cognate for what comes out of a bright yellow squeeze bottle, this relish has very little in common with that Easter egg-colored condiment.

Mostarda is a chunky agrodolce (sour-sweet) sauce made with whatever fruit you have on hand and is a delicious topping for everything from cheese to roasted meats. I decided to use a combination of rhubarb and strawberry for my sweet-sour combo, though I don't typically like those together. The fennel, honey, strawberries, and carrot top greens came from our High Ground Organics CSA.

Ingredients

• 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
• 1 T crushed garlic
• 1 t brown mustard seeds
• splash of olive oil
• 2 T honey (I used the honey from Keith Kimes's Apiary)
• 4 T vinegar (I used a pomegranate vinegar)
• 1/2 C water
• 1 t ground mustard
• 1 t prepared yellow mustard
• 1 stalk of rhubarb, trimmed and sliced
• 1/2 C organic strawberries, hulled
• 2 T carrot top greens, triple-rinsed and rough chopped
• 2 pinches sea salt flakes

Procedure
In a large flat-bottom pan, brown the mustard seeds in a splash of olive oil until they hop around the pan. Add in the garlic and fennel - and another splash of olive oil - and cook until slightly softened.

Add in the honey, vinegar, water, ground mustard, and yellow mustard. Whisk in the ground mustard until completely dissolved. Add in the rhubarb and strawberries.

Simmer for 50-60 minutes, until the fennel is almost translucent and the sauce syrupy. If it gets too dry, add in a splash more water. To finish, stir in the carrot top greens and season with salt.

You'll be seeing this tomorrow on top of our roasted salmon.