better late than never

uggh ..... passover always wipes me out. after killing myself for a month or longer, i inevitably miss out of taking care of "regular" things in my life. it is only after the two seders are "said and done with" that things seem to go back to normal. for the past week [the worst], i've been busy running around buying the last of the food, getting the house ready, managing changing guest lists for the seder, and cooking. it is at those times one wishes for the 36 hour day. [so, to all those whose blogs i normally visit, a big sorry — you're not being ignored!]. getting back to food, this should have been posted earlier but time did not permit and my kitchen was not ready to start cooking in.

the following is the condiment of condiments when it comes to holiday fare like gefilte fish. ok, it's much easier to buy it ready made but what else does one do with a huge horseradish root that you need for the seder plate?! [they don't sell small pieces here]. not one to throw things out, i make my own hrein with the majority of the root and save the rest for use during the ceremonial part.


hrein
horseradish and beet condiment

this is basically jewish wasabi. sometimes called a sauce or a relish, it is served with gefilte fish and adds the necessary zip/zing to the sweetened fish dish. of course, it can be used for other things like smoked turkey or brisket. hrein is also good with mashed potatoes.

the only caveat i have for this is that you need to check out your horseradish root. for some reason, in different crops/years the root is much stronger than others. this year's tasted like complete fire whereas the one i bought last year, paled in comparison and had absolutely no bite or edge to it whatsoever. i added a ground up fresh hot red chili to it to doctor it up.


ingredients:

1/2 lb horseradish root, peeled
1 medium sized beet, peeled (uncooked!)
2 tsp salt
2 - 4 tbsp sugar
1/4 c white vinegar

method:

peel the horseradish root and chop it into sections about 1 to 2 inches wide. peel the beet under running water to avoid staining your hands and cut off the root and stem ends.

in a food processor, grind the horseradish with the vinegar. it should be very well ground. do NOT breathe in the fumes. alternatively, you may grate it very finely on a box grater the old fashioned way but it is more work and you need to cover your nose and mouth to avoid breathing in the fumes. it will make you choke!

chop the beet into a few pieces and add it to the horseradish and process until it is finely chopped or grate it finely, either by hand or with the processor attachment.

place this carefully in a bowl. don't wear good clothes when making this or it may splatter and the stains are hard to get out.

add the salt and sugar. mix well and let it sit.


after 2o minutes, the juices will have come out. taste the hrein and adjust the sugar and salt to your liking.

variation: just use the horseradish and grind extremely finely.

store covered in the fridge. will be good for a few months.

enjoy!

to those celebrating the passover holiday, a big
pesach same'ach
[only a few more days of matza left to go!]
and
those who will be celebrating easter this weekend,
happy holiday!