Serious Heat: Horseradish Heaven
Note: On Wednesdays, Andrea Lynn, senior editor of Chile Pepper magazine, drops by with Serious Heat.
©iStockphoto.com/blowbackphoto
Spice doesn’t just come in the form of capsaicin-based wonders. There's that fabulous nasal-cleansing heat of roots like horseradish and Japanese horseradish, commonly known as wasabi. With a light touch of heat in the beginning that explodes through the sinuses at the end, horseradish keeps you coming back for more. Whether stirred into sour cream, topped onto soups, mixed in a Bloody Mary, or slathered over roast beef, it gives a tingling, delayed heat that is positively addicting.
Only experimenting with the actual root for the first time this week (they are quite ugly things, aren’t they?), I found freshly grated horseradish more flavorful and not quite as pungent as the canned variety. I grated it using a Microplane to get its full power for the finer the root is chopped or grated, the stronger the flavor.
If you want to preserve horseradish, mix the grated root with vinegar to preserve its pungency. If not mixed with vinegar, the crushed root can lose its flavor and turn a dark color. Cream, mustard or mayo, along with a bounty of spices, can be added to create various horseradish sauces.
A good match for the piquancy of horseradish is the sweet, velvetiness of beets, like roasted beats sandwiched with horseradish cream. But who wants to heat the house with the oven right now? (Not me.) I found a much quicker, delightful summer way to use beets: Grate the beets and toss in a horseradish vinaigrette to give those crunchy beets a punch. And smooth avocado pairs nicely with the salad. Oh, you beet-haters out there—just give it a try, I implore. These aren't your cafeteria canned beets. Just don't say I didn’t warn you about potential red stains in your kitchen.
Raw Beet Salad with Horseradish Dressing and Avocado
Zest Factor: Mild to Medium
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 bunch of beets (about 3 to 4 medium beets), peeled
1 teaspoon freshly grated horseradish, or 1/2 teaspoon bottled horseradish
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
Sea salt
Procedure
Grate beets using a box grater placed in a bowl for minimal red-stained mess. In a small bowl, add horseradish, rice vinegar, and whisk in olive oil to emulsify. Taste, and add more horseradish until desired flavor is achieved. Dress over the grated beets. Serve with sliced avocado and sprinkle both with sea salt.
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7 Comments:
I am definitely going to give this a try. I love raw beets - I make this salad compulsively. It's so good, and healthy enough that I can validate eating far more than any human being should in one sitting.
Shelby at 10:46AM on 07/22/09
i just had my first experience with raw horseradish this weekend too. In my case, it was for bloody marys.
It's actually a great recipe i found in men's journal- I took 5 lbs of tomatoes (the recipe called for all heirlooms but i went half heirloom and half beefsteak because the heirlooms at whole foods were a little on the green side and i wanted that red color), cut them up and ran them through a potato ricer. they're harder to press than i imagined, and it didn't yield much juice, so i took the pressed mash and pulsed it in a food processor with some kosher salt, then put that in a colander to drain over a bowl for about 40 minutes. that worked perfectly- got a good quart of juice, maybe more.
the recipe is 2 oz vodka, 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated horseradish, 1tbsp fresh lime juice, a grind of pepper, and top with tomato juice over ice, with a stick of celery for garnish. given that i'd used salt to extract the tomato juice, i didn't have to add any to the drink itself.
the color wasn't that ferrari red you get with V8 or clamato, but it was still delicious.
mr guy at 11:40AM on 07/22/09
I have a horseradish plant growing in the yard but never bothered to harvest - any tips on digging up the roots?
Anneesha at 12:12PM on 07/22/09
Does anyone have any insight on growing and/or obtaining fresh wasabi? I know finding it is difficult, but from what I have read growing your own (if you can find seeds) is actually not difficult, given cool shady conditions. Thanks.
sdc91079 at 2:18PM on 07/22/09
I first had fresh horseradish a few years ago at Ringside, where it was served alongside my steak. It was a revelation. I'd always like horseradish but after that, I was obsessed. Believe it or not, I managed to find it at Safeway (where it was mislabeled as celery root, but what can you do?)
I'm planning to grow some, I just haven't managed to plant that garden yet.
RegrettableFoodie at 3:13PM on 07/22/09
Y'all read up on that stuff, it grows like crazy and is invasive.
If you rototill it, it just spreads more! I plant mine right on my neighbors'
lot line, 100' from my garden :)
NEVER plant it in your garden unless you have a huge one.
tinytim at 4:52PM on 07/22/09
here in Russia we made a horseradish sauce (grated horseradish with spices) and than eat it with meat dishes or traditional Russian Holodets (jellied minced meat). Delicious! Also we add horseradish roots to marinade (pickled cucumbers, pickled cabbage etc.) Very traditionally!
tasterussian at 5:33PM on 07/22/09