Horseradish
Horseradish is one special herb. It is a member of the Brassicaceae family along with mustard, wasabi and broccoli and has been cultivated for over 1500 years. The white root is stacked with health benefits; antibacterial due to it containing mustard oils and rich in vitamin C – perfect for your immune system leading into the cold winter months. Throughout history, it has been used as a medicine, an accompaniment to beef, fish and chicken and an aphrodisiac. Kinky.
No one is quite sure how it got its name; the most widely held theory is from the German name “meerrettich” (sea radish- because it grows by the sea) Many believe the English mispronounced the German word “meer” and began calling it “mareradish.” They swapped mare for horse and it became known as horseradish. Radish comes from the Latin ‘radix’, meaning root. Intact horseradish has virtually no aroma, but once grated, it gets its spicy kick from isothiocyanate, a volatile compound that stings the nostrils like Sex Panther cologne when inhaled.
Here are a couple of my favourite recipes with horseradish.
Pickled Horseradish
This is my favourite way to use horseradish, and it keeps for weeks in the fridge – perfect to have on hand for those roast dinners or an impromptu Meatclub sitting. Pickling horseradish yields a subtler, refined flavour than freshly grated horseradish or pre-prepared creamed horseradish that doesn’t overpower beef and fish.
Ingredients;
1 horseradish root, washed and scrubbed thoroughly.
2 cups white wine vinegar
1 cup white wine
50g white sugar
50g salt
10 juniper berries
20g fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
Method;
For this method, you will use the edge of your knife to shred the horseradish, so use an old crappy kitchen knife instead of your most delicate blade, as you’ll dull the cutting edge during the shaving process. You could use a potato peeler, but the result will be thicker pieces of horseradish that are harder to chew.
First, make your pickling brine. Add all the ingredients except the horseradish to a saucepan and gently heat to dissolve the sugars and salts and infuse the herbs. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Make sure the room is well ventilated – it will get potently pungent during this process, and your eyes will water excessively if you don’t. On a chopping board, hold the thick end of the root firmly in your hand. Hold the cutting edge of the knife at a 90-degree angle to the root and, with a fair amount of force, drag the blade downwards toward the tip to the root – you’ll get thin slivers that look like wood shavings. Shred as much of the root as you can – some bigger chunks will break away where there are knots and burrs – discard these; you only want the wafer-thin slivers.
Pack clean, sterilised jars with the shavings and cover with the brine, dividing the herbs between each. Seal the jars and leave them for a few days before eating. These will keep for weeks.
Pan fried ocean trout, dill potatoes, beetroot and horseradish pesto
Serves 6
Ingredients;
6 x 150g ocean trout fillets, skin on
For the potatoes;
600g new potatoes, cooked and
150g sour cream
1 tsp. English mustard
½ cup dill fronds, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste
For the pesto (this will make more than enough for this dish, but it will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge)
50g fresh horseradish, peeled, washed and grated
200g cooked beetroot, grated
150g almonds, toasted
75g grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, chopped
50ml raspberry vinegar
100ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Method;
To make the pesto, put everything into a large bowl and mix well. Set aside until serving.
Cook the potatoes in salted water, drain and cool under running water. Once cooled, drain and slice into round disks
Mix sour cream, dill, and mustard in a separate bowl. Add the potatoes and dill and mix thoroughly. Set aside while you cook the fish.
Score the skin of the fillets with a sharp knife. Season well with salt. Heat a heavy-based frying pan till smoking hot. Add a little oil and place the fillet’s skin side down in the pan. Add a generous knob of butter to the pan. Turn down the temperature to medium heat and don’t touch for 5-7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets; this will ensure crisp, golden-brown skin. Turn off the heat and flip the fillets and allow them to finish cooking with the residual heat from the pan, about 3-5 minutes.
To serve;
Divide the potato between the plates, place a fillet skin side on each and add a dollop of the pesto to each. Serve with a double shot of quality vodka on ice.