Horseradish

[Elissa]

what do you do with them?

[jackal10]

a) Plant in the garden. They like a fairly damp spot, but tolerate shade. Once established they are an invasive weed.

b) Throw it away. Much easier to buy a small bottle of ready prepared

c) Grate:(caution fumes!), do it outdoors, or use a food processor. The grated horseradish will keep a long time in a jar in a fridge, Once grated you can

- Make Chrane/horseradish sauce. Mix with vinegar, salt, sugar, grated beet, grated turnip, cream, mayo etc as you please. The sugar counteracts the heat a bit, but taste with caution.

- Use as a flavouring/condiment. Horseradish dumplings, horseradish mash, horseradish pie crust, honey-horseradish-mustard dressing

- Use sparingly as a substitute for garlic. Surprisngly horseradish has many of the same flavour and flavour enhancing properties, and apparently some of the same chemical constituents in the heat. They combine well together.

Edited April 18, 2003 by jackal10 (log)

[=Mark]

Buzz up a couple cups of cubed root with a quarter cup of cold water and the same amount of white vinegar in food processor. (Beet juice for added flavor & color optional).

As above, beware when opening lid as it will mimic a tear gas grenade going off.

Granted it is easier to just buy storebought, but I guarantee that the homemade stuff makes storebought taste and feel like damp sawdust in comparison.

[KatieLoeb]

Granted it is easier to just buy storebought, but I guarantee that the homemade stuff makes storebought taste and feel like damp sawdust in comparison.

Yessss! This is why I make my own every Passover. Just made it on Tuesday evening. It was deadly and delicious.

Buzz up a couple cups of cubed root with a quarter cup of cold water and the same amount of white vinegar in food processor.  (Beet juice for added flavor & color optional).

I used to put it through the processor, first using the shredding disk, and then using the chopping blade with white vinegar, a little water (not quite the 1:1 ratio =Mark recommends) and sea salt. Then I'd add a few canned baby beets for color. This time, since I now possess the technology, I microplaned the root into the processor bowl (had to stop 7 or eight times when overcome with the fumes - I wish I could have found my damned ski goggles ) and then proceeded to whirl it up as above with the blade. It seemed that the additional surface area freed and horseradish "juice" let out by using the microplane grater made the resulting mixture MUCH STRONGER than the way I used to approach it.

As above, beware when opening lid as it will mimic a tear gas grenade going off.

My cats pointed their little noses skyward, took one sniff and TOOK OFF UP THE STAIRS like little banshees I didn't have any canned beets in the house and was going to just leave the horseradish white, but it was virtually inedibly strong so I actually went off to the 24 hour grocery at 11:30 PM just to get beets so I could tone it down a tad before my Seder hosts would want to kill me!

The other thing I do with fresh horseradish root is grate a little into plain unsweetened applesauce and serve it on the side of pork chops, ham, or even cold roast beef. It's a Bavarian thing, I think. I first had it on the side of Tafelspitz in Austria and decided it would be a new condiment in my house.

[Elissa]

Those sound fun. Especially the gardener's revenge option.

Found some in the market the other day and have been imagining tuna with a ginger/horseradish/lime zest and cilanto fest.

How would you do that? Maybe a marinade with sesame oil and sear?

Edited April 19, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Suzanne F]

Sounds good to me. Rice vinegar and sesame oil for the vinaigrette.

A couple of other things: 1) horseradish and microplanes are a match made in heaven. Nothing better for grating the stuff! 2) I've found that it's best to grate only as much as I need; once it's grated, it loses potency. But the whole root keeps pretty well wrapped in paper towels (don't let it get too wet; then it will rot and go moldy).

[=Mark]

1) horseradish and microplanes are a match made in heaven.  Nothing better for grating the stuff!

Yowsah! Another task for the Microplane!

[Stone]

I second (third?) the sentiment that store-bought horseradish sucks. My dad makes it fresh every Passover. He sits there in the kitchen with an old hand grater, crying his eyes out. I think he just mixes it with vinegar, no water. We always have two batches, white and red. The white will melt your eyes, singe your brows, curl your hair, and turn it white from the paint dripping off the ceiling.

And once you make it, use it on almost anything you'd put mustard on. It's great for leftover brisket sandwiches or spooned into matzoh ball soup. It's also good mixed with some tomato juice, a dash of celery salt, worcestershire sauce, S&P and a good strong shot of vodka.

Edited April 18, 2003 by Stone (log)

[markabauman]

Will sometimes shred or use a Benriner "green machine" to create strands of horseradish along with a potato to encase a fish fillet, then saute.

[Suzanne F]

Now THAT's very interesting. How do you intertwine the potato and horseradish?

[Aurora]

Those sound fun, especially the gardener's revenge one.

Found some in the market the other day and have been imagining tuna with a ginger/horseradish/lime zest and cilanto fest.

How would you do that? Maybe a marinade with sesame oil and sear?

How about a marinade with sesame oil, then grill?

[Nick]

Don't plant horseradish in your garden unless you're ready to have it around for a long time. Very hard to get rid of once well established.

[Elissa]

how best to balance the 4 flavors - hr, ginger, lime and sesame- plus fish, in the marinade? think they'd develop enough to be distinguished?

maybee horseradish sake ceviche ?

Edited April 19, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Chris Hennes]

I'm doing my garden planning for next season and decided to put in some horseradish because I love it as a condiment on sandwiches. However, from past experience I know how this grow-it-yourself thing works out: I am going to get inundated with the stuff in short order. Besides the suggestions above does anyone have any dishes where horseradish is a dominant or at least strong flavor? I have had horseradish-encrusted beef tenderloin and it was great (as long as you didn't mind that you couldn't taste the beef!). What else can I do with my projected abundance?

[nickrey]

The comments above about tear gas hint at one of the best uses for horseradish: to clear sinuses. I used to eat cheese and horseradish relish sandwiches for this purpose.

But back to more conventional culinary uses.

It goes extremely well with sour cream, particularly for use as a condiment with cooked baby beetroot or smoked salmon.

Picking up this theme, it is wonderful in dips made with these ingredients and cream cheese.

You can also mash it into potato (this also works with wasabi).

You mentioned using it as a crust for beef. It can also be used in this way with salmon.

Someone said to use it where you would use mustard. It can also be combined directly with mustard to give a spicy and hot condiment.

Try it in butter with corn.

Apart from those, there are a number of recipes on the Internet for various horseradish dressings and sauces. I'm not sure if it freezes well but in a pickled relish with vinegar and salt it should be capable of being canned and kept in your cupboard for when it is not in season.

[YPants]

god i love horseradish

horseradish is a very classical accompanyment to stew beef meats like brisket etc here. it's also very popular with cod and other fish, mostly as a cream sauce. i almost always use it in mayo based beetroot salads and stuff like that. it also works great with roasted root vegetables.

i think L'arpege serves a horseradish foam with some vegetable dishes?

(these are all using grated horseradish, havent ever used it whole)

[BonVivant]

i finely grate it [using a microplane grater] and sprinkle copious amounts over red meats and sausages. just make sure the meat isn't too hot as heat destroys horseradish's pungency. other times i deliberately eat it for the sinus hits. mwahaha...

brought one of these home from Franconia last year. planted it in a big deep pot to prevent it from taking over my back garden. even a dish in Franconia has the local word for horseradish in it. i cry bitter tears back in food hell.

[Lindacakes]

I am currently enjoying a little cordial glass of horseradish vodka in front of the Christmas tree every night.

Get the best vodka you can, peel and cut the horseradish into chunks, and immerse the chunks in the booze.

Take the chunks out after three days. Your booze will be slightly tinged in color.

You can mix that in a bloody Mary, if you like, but I prefer the clean cold taste plain.

You can freeze it quite well, too. Peeled and cut into sticks. Use 'em as you need 'em.

Grate a bit into your raw oysters.

[KatieLoeb]

I am currently enjoying a little cordial glass of horseradish vodka in front of the Christmas tree every night.

Get the best vodka you can, peel and cut the horseradish into chunks, and immerse the chunks in the booze.

Take the chunks out after three days.  Your booze will be slightly tinged in color.

You can mix that in a bloody Mary, if you like, but I prefer the clean cold taste plain.

You can freeze it quite well, too.  Peeled and cut into sticks.  Use 'em as you need 'em.

Grate a bit into your raw oysters.

←

Or put your raw oyster right into the shot glass with the horseradish vodka and do it as an oyster shot. Horseradish tequila works well this way too...

[NancyH]

I'm doing my garden planning for next season and decided to put in some horseradish because I love it as a condiment on sandwiches. However, from past experience I know how this grow-it-yourself thing works out: I am going to get inundated with the stuff in short order.

←

You don't have to be inundated unless you want to be. You can control the spread of the roots by containing it with a 6" round of PVC pipe.

[emilyr]

I'm doing my garden planning for next season and decided to put in some horseradish because I love it as a condiment on sandwiches. However, from past experience I know how this grow-it-yourself thing works out: I am going to get inundated with the stuff in short order.

←

You don't have to be inundated unless you want to be. You can control the spread of the roots by containing it with a 6" round of PVC pipe.

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Or doing it in it's own container or bucket. That's what I do with mint.

[scubadoo97]

We have two Passover Seders with 50-70 family members each night. I have recently been given the esteemed job of making the horseradish for Seder. I make appoximately 5 lbs of prepared horseradish colored with beets. This can easily be done on a smaller scale and the beets left out if the color is not your thing. This is so much better than the stuff you buy at the store.

The hardware: I use my meat grinder under the range hood to control what would contribute to a major breathing problem

The horseradish is peeled and cut into cubes along with a large beet

With the hood at full power the horseradish and beets are ground twice through a medium plate.

The ground horseradish is then mixed with white vinegar, water and a little salt

Edited April 2, 2009 by scubadoo97 (log)

[KatieLoeb]

I've been in charge of the Passover horseradish for nearly 20 years. My process is slightly different since I'm not making nearly as much.

I use the shredder blade and then the regular blade in the food processor. I also roast the beet so as to bring out some sweetness and get the juices flowing. White vinegar, just a little water and salt as well.

Same end result. Slightly different process.

I wear ski goggles and open the kitchen window so as not to choke on the fumes.

[KatieLoeb]

...this year's entry into the horseradish annals...

It's pretty potent this time! I peeled the beets first and cubed them up small and then roasted them after reading about the technique in a New York Times article. Definitely made them cook faster and get more carmelized. Cubed up the root, shredded it and then pulsed it with the food processor blade along with water, salt vinegar and about 2/3 cup of roasted beet cubes. Great color and flavor this batch. The rest of the roasted beets made for a nice snack...

I stumbled across this website from the Horseradish Information Council that has a ton of fabulous recipe suggestions on it. There are some really interesting sounding dips and sauces in there I'll likely be trying with the small batch of white unadulterated horseradish I made after the batch pictured above.

Edited April 6, 2009 by KatieLoeb (log)

[kitchenhacker]

I love horseradish. It is one of those things, though, that you rarely see used in hot preparations. Is this a natural limitation of horseradish or merely tradition? Can it be cooked to good effect? If anyone has any ideas/thoughts about this, I'd be interested.