December 30th, 2015

Horseradish Preserve

After I just wrote about growing of horseradish you might wonder how to use it in the kitchen. Horseradish is a condiment that is eaten mainly with smoked fish or smoked meat or roast beef. For this it has to be preserved first and then, whenever needed it is mixed with whipped cream to the desired strength. Before you get started let me warn you - horseradish is spicy and it's stingent etheric oils will bite your nose and eyes if you are not careful. The green wasabi paste that is served with Sushi is also made from a horseradish variety. Just to give you an idea of the kind of spiciness you have to expect. But it is nevertheless delicious and healthy and shouldn't be missing from any good kitchen.

How to get started:

Freshly harvested horseradish

Harvest horseradish by pulling or lifting it out of the ground. Cut of the leave tops and discard them. Wash the roots with clear water and a brush. Don't wash the thin plantlets you have laid aside to re-plant later.

Giving the roots a good scrub

white, clean horseradish roots

Using a very sharp knife peel the roots thinly. Cut out any hollow or black parts.

Peeling the roots thinly

You end up with nice white roots. Discard the peels and any roots that were too thin to be peeled sensibly.

Peeled horseradish

What to do next:

The hardest part is grating the horseradish. It needs to be grated finely. That can be done with a grater or a kitchen machine. Both is possible. Be careful as the vapours that are released during this process are strong and hurt your eyes and nose if you come too close.

Using a hand grater

If you are using a kitchen machine you need to cut the roots into thinner and smaller pieces first so that the machine can cope with them. Horseradish is quite hard, dry and elastic. Take care not to put too much strain on the machine. Therefore it is advisable to work in small batches.

Grate the roots as finely as possible. The end result should look something like in the picture below:

Grated horseradish root

The next step:

Measure out the amount of grated horseradish you have gained. For every 100 g of grated root you need:

• ​4 teasp. of fresh lemon or lime juice
• ​1 level teasp. salt
• ​1 level teasp. sugar

Mix everything well into the grated horseradish.

The last steps:

Use some clean old jam jars. Smaller ones are preferable. Sterilize them by standing them head over in a large pot filled up to 2 cm with water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and leave the jars plus their lids in the boiling water for about 2 minutes.

Sterilizing clean, used jam jars

Spoon the horseradish mix into the jars and compress it, to remove as much air as possible. Clean the rim of the jars with a clean tissue paper or napkin.

Place the lids on the jars and close them tightly.

Closing the jars with a lid

Heat your oven to 200*C. Bring the water in the large pot that you used to sterilize the jars again to a boil. Place the filled jars inside. Set the pot with the jars in the oven and sterilize them again for 15 min at 200*C.

After the jars have cooled down completely the jars will be tightly closed by the vacuum that forms inside the jars. You can store the horseradish preserve for several months, preferably in a cold and dark spot. Whenever you want to use it, mix a few teaspoons of it into 100 ml whipped cream and use as a condiment. The more horseradish you mix into the cream the stronger and hotter it will be. Once you opened a jar you need to store it in the fridge and use it in the next couple of weeks.
​Enjoy!