09 October 2011

Horseradish Love.

You cannot imagine the pain that followed taking this photo.  Also, yum.


When I first moved to Glasgow, I found a horseradish root in a grocery store.  I'd never seen one before and I'd never tried one.  I was curious, so I bought it.  It didn't last long -- I scarfed it down in no time.  I have been trying to find fresh horseradish root again ever since with no luck at all, until a few weeks ago.   I was so excited about finally finding more fresh horseradish, I bought two roots and wish I'd bought more!

I shredded and bottled it (in cider vinegar).  The trick, they say, is to wait several minutes before bottling it because freshly grated horseradish will become even more potent after a few minutes.  (I have no idea if that's true, but I do like extreme potency in my food.)  Going near the jars and my food processor was like being hit with mustard gas, even with the window open.  My lungs burned -- I never felt anything like that before! -- tears were streaming down my face, even the fingers I used to cram the shredded horseradish into the jar burned.  In the aftermath of all that, I felt almost euphoric and giddy.  And it was all worth it.

I have already posted about how very delightful horseradish is in tomato sauce.  Yesterday, I made a white bean pate with haricot (navy) beans,* grated horseradish, and some chili pepper.  It tasted so fresh!

I'm planning on making some Bloody Marys (and Virgin Marys) and tomato soup and borscht with horseradish, but I'm looking for more ideas.  Do you have any? 




*  I like them so much, I ordered 9 kg of dried haricot beans when I found them cheap on-line.  And if you think that's crazy, I recently ordered a 10kg box of dates and a 23 kg sack of (unpopped) popcorn! 

4 comments:

  1. You're right-- once they're grated, the flying horseradish dust is a little bit deadly. Delicious, but my eyes were absolutely streaming from the fumes too.

    Tomato soup with horseradish sounds so good!

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  2. Ha! I like the photo of the aftermath of peeling.

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  3. Well done, Big Momma! You are so overwhelmed that you made your tasty horseradish in no time. Hehe. I suggest you try to hit on your keyboard and go online. There are more horseradish recipes that you’ll be delighted to cook. Also, when serving any horseradish dish, avoid using a silver plate or bowls as horseradish will tarnish on silver.

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