“Oh, Dios mio, what is this?” asked the cashier about the gnarly, hairy root dirtying up her grocery scanner. “It looks like elephant foot,” she said, grimacing.
“No, it doesn’t,” I whispered. “It looks like a penis.”
Indeed, fresh horseradish can look shockingly phallic, but that’s not the reason to give it a try. If the only horseradish you’ve ever had is the stuff out of a jar, it’s time to experience the real deal.
In season during early spring, fresh horseradish is usually in supermarkets in time for Passover (it’s one of the five bitter herbs served at Seder, which begins this year at sundown, April 23), and then it seems to disappear from the produce aisle. Beyond its misshapen, filthy exterior is a creamy white flesh that, once grated, will send your nostrils and taste buds into another galaxy. Because its aroma and flavor is hyper-potent, horseradish needs taming. Think plain yogurt or sour cream, or even mayonnaise. Piquant horseradish loves the mellowness of fat, which is why it works so well with roast beef, cream cheese, and yes, those shrimp.
To get started, open the windows in the kitchen for ventilation — and if you don’t believe me, let me know next week about your nostrils being set on fire. Scrub the beast really well; the fresh stuff usually comes caked in dirt and needs a thorough soak as well. With a sharp knife, cut away the skin. With a grater, grate a hunk until you have approximately 1/4 cup horseradish. This is a good amount to start with; you can also add more, but you can never take it away. I recently made a meal built around the knobby beast, using it in a sauce that worked as a medium, seamlessly linking all the components on the plate.
A Supper with horseradish
Sauce:
1/4 cup freshly grated horseradish
At least 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
Zest of 1 lemon, chopped
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
Small handful of fresh dill leaves, chopped
¨Stir all ingredients and taste for balance and salt. Set aside.
For the rest of dinner:
Six to eight small, waxy potatoes
Additional fresh dill (optional)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Olive oil or sesame oil
Two 6-8 oz. salmon fillets
Two crisp apples, sliced into eighths
Salt and pepper to taste
¨Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil potatoes in salted water and cook until fork tender. Mash by hand and add salt, pepper, a few teaspoons of horseradish sauce, and extra dill, if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Mix the ground coriander and cumin with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Rub the mixture over salmon filets with enough oil to moisten the spices (approximately 1 teaspoon). Heat a saute pan and sear the fish, skin side down, for at least three minutes. Turn fish onto other side and continue to cook — either in an ovenproof saute pan or on a baking sheet — in preheated oven. Cook until desired doneness, approximately five to seven minutes. Place salmon on plates with a healthy scoop of mashed potatoes and sliced apple. Serves two.
– Kim O’Donnel
This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2005.
