TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B
HOME & LIVING
Hooray for horseradish
■ This tongue-tingling condiment never fails to make an impression when it’s added to a dish
p
processor.
Add a couple table-
s spoons of water and process
until well ground.
u
If the mixture is too watery,
s strain out some of the liquid.
Add 1/8 to 1/2 cup of white
A
v vinegar and a pinch of salt for
e every 1 cup of grated horse-
r radish. Pulse to combine.
Transfer the grated horse-
r radish to a jar. It will keep for
up to 6 weeks in the refrigera-
u
t tor.
Makes 1 (8-ounce) container.
Gretchen McKay
Kay
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
azette
PITTSBURGH
GH – Condi-
ments often play
ay a role in
elevating a dish’s
h’s fl avor.
Where would a hot dog be
biquitous
without that ubiquitous
up or a
squirt of ketchup
ham sandwich without a
onnaise?
slather of mayonnaise?
Then there’s horseradish.
No shrinking g violet,
nob-
this long and knob-
by white root of f
h
the horseradish
plant snaps the e
n-
palette to atten-
tion when it fi nds
auce
its way into a sauce
or spice blend. Hot
and spicy, with a pungent
odor that gives even seasoned
cooks pause, it tastes like a
ids.
radish on steroids.
Horseradish comes to mind
ar because it
this time of year
is central to the e Passover
Seder plate as a symbol of the
bitterness Jews s experienced
when enslaved in Egypt. Yet
the history of horseradish is
as much cultural l as it i is a
religious, said Adam Hertz-
man, marketing director of
Jewish Federation of Greater
Pittsburgh.
The Torah specifi es eating
a “bitter herb” as part of the
Passover story. The Mishnah,
the fi rst written collection of
Jewish oral traditions also
known as the “oral Torah,”
specifi es fi ve types of bitter
herbs, or maror, eaten on the
night of Passover — none of
which include horseradish,
he said.
It’s likely that horseradish
was the “bitter herb” most
easily available for Eastern
European and Russian Jews.
Many Sephardic Jews don’t
use horseradish at all; it’s
usually endive.
Horseradish has a special
connection to Pittsburgh.
Prepared horseradish —
and not ketchup — was the
fi rst product Henry J. Heinz
bottled when he went into
the food business back in
1869. He perfected the recipe
after years of making it at
home using produce from his
mother’s garden, along with
pickles, vinegar and chili
sauce, said Emily Ruby, cura-
tor at the Senator John Heinz
History Center in the Strip
District.
The iconic ketchup didn’t
come on the market until
1876, according to a Heinz
company timeline. But Ruby
has seen advertisements
from as far back as 1872
promoting ketchup as part of
its product line. “And it took
a long time for ketchup to
eclipse,” she said; it wouldn’t
become the company’s best
seller until the 1950s and
‘60s.
Then, as now, horseradish
was used primarily to spice
up roast beef or a topping
for oysters or other seafood.
Heinz cleverly packaged it
in clear or aqua glass so con-
sumers — many who found
the job of making it at home
both tedious and thankless —
could see its top quality.
Part of the cabbage family,
horseradish is thought to
be native to Eastern Eu-
rope. It’s been cultivated for
centuries for both medicinal
and culinary uses. Ancient
— Gretchen McKay
Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-
Gazette-TNS
H
HORSERADISH
S SAUCE
Horseradish root.
Greeks and
Romans
ground it into
a poultice to
relieve back
pain and men-
strual cramps. In
Slavic cuisine, it’s
an ingredient along
with sugar, ground
b beets
t and d vinegar
i
i in a t tradi-
di
tional Easter and Passover
dish known as chrain.
In the United States,
the commercial horserad-
ish industry didn’t take off
until European immigrants
started growing it in the 19th
century, according to the
Herb Society of America. It
is cultivated primarily in the
Midwest — nearly 85 percent
of the world’s supply comes
from Collinsville, Ill. — but
also found in Pennsylvania,
Oregon, Washington, Wiscon-
sin and California.
In all, American farmers
grew nearly 3,000 acres of
horseradish in 2017, ac-
cording to the USDA, or an
estimated 24 million pounds
of the root crop.
fresh, with no blemishes,
soft spots or signs of mold.
It runs between $2.99
and $4.99 a pound.
To prepare horserad-
ish, decide how much
is needed. Then peel
or scrape off the skin
of that part as you would a
t Th
h of f
carrot.
The root t l loses much
its color and spice once grated,
so you don’t want to peel the
whole thing if you don’t need
it.
Even more important: Don’t
get too close when you’re
grating horseradish, or you
may tear up or feel your lungs
start to burn. When the root is
crushed, oils called isothiocya-
nates are released. The vapors
trigger that head-clearing,
burning sensation in the nose
and sinus.
Horseradish will keep in
the refrigerator for up to two
weeks; it can also be frozen
and grated as needed. While
horseradish is a welcome ad-
dition to cooked foods, it will
lose some of its punch when
it is exposed to heat. So you’ll
want to add it to warm dish
What’s (not) in a name?
just before serving.
Its name has nothing to do
However you work horse-
with horses. It’s attributed
radish into your menu, feel
instead to a mispronunciation good about eating it. Unlike
of the German word meeret- some other condiments, horse-
tich, which translates to “sea radish is almost calorie-free
radish” or “more radish.” The — it counts just 2 per table-
English mistakenly heard it
spoon — and it’s naturally full
as “mare” radish.
of vitamins and minerals.
Horseradish not only gives
Plus, there’s the taste. It’s
a bloody mary its fi ery bite
just the thing to wake up your
and a roast beef sandwich
taste buds after a long and
a bit of zing but also can be
dreary winter.
used to brighten any num-
ber of dishes. Eat it raw or
HOMEMADE
prepared as a condiment with
HORSERADISH
vinegar and salt, or enjoy
it pickled or cooked into a
This is the most common con-
savory dish. It’s most biting
diment made from horseradish
right when it’s grated. An
root. Use it to spice up bloody
addition of vinegar helps to
stabilize the fl avor and make marys or vinaigrette, spoon
on top of oysters or stir it into
it milder.
Stir it into coleslaw, mashed whatever else you are making
potatoes or a deviled egg fi ll- for a punch of fl avor.
ing for a kick of fl avor; add it
to hummus, guacamole, salad 8- to 10-inch long piece
of horseradish root
dressing or mayonnaise to
awaken the tastebuds; whisk 2 tablespoons water
it into sauces like chimichurri 1/8 to 1/2 cup white vinegar
Pinch salt
to accompany meats that
can stand up to a little heat;
Rinse the horseradish root
or use it to brighten a spring
and dry with a paper towel.
pasta dish.
Peel the surface skin with a
Grow your own
vegetable peeler. Chop root
Got a green thumb? Horse- into pieces.
radish is easy to grow in a
Place the pieces into a food
sunny, well-drained garden
for a fall harvest. For those
who don’t, it’s also easy to fi nd
at most grocery stores tucked
among the radishes and pars-
nips. Choose roots that look
For All your
T addition of yogurt and
The
mayonnaise temper the spici-
m
ness of the horseradish in this
n
c creamy sauce. It’s great on
s sandwiches, baked potatoes,
a and can be stirred into salad
dressings and egg dishes.
d
Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-TNS
1 1/2 cup plain whole-
milk Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cup sour cream
2 to 3 tablespoons
prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fi nely
grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste
When mixed with sour cream, mayo and vinegar, grated
horseradish root makes a spicy sauce for roast beef
sandwiches.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons freshly
grated horseradish
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Sea salt
crumbs, garlic, horseradish,
parsley and a pinch or two
of salt. Cook until toasted,
about 5 minutes. Set aside.
(Can be stored in the refrig-
erated for up to a month.)
Mix yogurt, sour cream,
In a large saute pan, heat
horseradish, mustard and
oil
over medium-high heat.
lemon zest in a small bowl.
Add
green onions, garlic,
Season with salt and pepper.
For pasta
asparagus,
horseradish and
Makes about 1 cup.
2 tablespoons olive oil
radish,
and
cook for about
3 or 4 green onions, sliced thin
6
to
7
minutes,
or until
— Gretchen McKay 1 large clove garlic, minced
asparagus
is
tender.
Season
1 large bunch asparagus,
to
taste
with
salt
and
pep-
sliced into bite-sized
per,
and
toss
an
additional
pieces (about 2 cups)
minute.
1 heaping tablespoon freshly
Add cooked pasta to pan,
grated horseradish
toss
to combine and turn
2 to 3 radishes, thinly sliced
heat
to very low.
Sea salt and black pepper
Whisk
together the
2 large eggs
eggs,
cheese
and mustard.
Cooked horseradish makes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Pour
over
warm
pasta and
spring vegetable pasta sing
cheese, plus more
veggies
and
toss
continu-
when it is teamed up with
for serving
ously
until
the
egg
mixture
green onions, garlic, rad-
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
thickens
into
a
sauce.
Add a
ish and asparagus. It’s also
little
pasta
water
to
thin
the
an ingredient in the garlicky
Cook pasta in salted water
sauce
to
desired
consistency.
breadcrumbs that go on top.
according to package instruc-
Top with horseradish
So good!
tions. Drain, retaining 1 cup of
crumbs
and serve immedi-
pasta water. Return pasta to
ately.
12 ounces shaped pasta, such pan, but do not heat.
Serves 3 to 4.
as fusilli or orecchiette
While pasta is cooking,
make breadcrumbs. Melt but-
For horseradish crumbs
— Adapted from
ter and oil in a small pan over
1 tablespoon butter
thewimpyvegetarian.com
medium heat. Add bread-
ASPARAGUS
CARBONARA WITH
HORSERADISH
CRUMBS
Let Your
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