Two Big Guys Cook Risotto

One of the joys Toby Stevenson and I share is cooking (though we each have our own copy).  A little bit back we got together to see if there was a difference between cooking risotto the traditional way or in a pressure cooker.  Watch here to see the results!

His Wit is as Thick as Tewkesbury Mustard!

Suzy and I have had the pleasure of visiting Tewkesbury.  While there we enjoyed its local specialty made famous in Shakespeare's Henry IV; a thick mustard.  It has a hefty proportion of horseradish to give it an extra kick.  We brought home a recipe which we've adapted over the past decade into the form below. The batch I threw together on New Years Day was so well received that we've had several requests for the recipe. Here it is!


Grind:
1/2 cup of yellow mustard seeds
1/2 cup of brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of mixed peppercorns
coarsely in a seed grinder or mortar and pestle. Leave some whole seeds intact. Remove to a bowl and add:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark beer
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup freshly grated horseradish
Adjust the beer/vinegar until you have the desired consistency.

If you would like a spicier mustard let the grated horseradish sit for a few minutes before adding it to the vinegar and mustard. It is also worth remembering these immortal words Juvenal attributed to Henry V, "War without fire has no value, no more than sausages without mustard." Enjoy!