Horseradish

Description
Horseradish is a member of the mustard family and is native to Eastern Europe, although it may have originated in Asia, Germany, or the Mediterranean area. The ancient Greeks used it, so did the Hebrews — it is one of the 5 bitter herbs of the Jewish Passover. The strong flavor of this root has an underlying sweetness and seems more like garlic than a spice.

Availability, Selection, Storage, and Preparation
Horseradish roots are available year round but are plentiful during the fall and early spring. Buy roots that are hard avoiding sprouting, greenish tinges, blemishes, and shriveling.

Although Horseradish is one of the most popular vegetables used in different dishes, you can get it for a very reasonable price. If you are cooking for a large family, you will want to purchase larger quantities of Horseradish and store them properly. The cost of this vegetable varies depending on many different factors, such as marketplace location, local competition, type of Horseradish that you want to purchase and so on. An older Horseradish will most likely cost less than a freshly picked one, but this also depends on where you buy it from, as some stores might not differentiate their vegetables like this.

Store these roots in plastic bags and refrigerate up to a week or freeze grated root in an airtight container for several months. Scrub the root and peel the brown skin. Finely grate or food process the root.

With an ever-increasing speed of life, cooking times are now more important than ever. Cooking Horseradish is fast and easy, thus recommending this vegetable as a good first choice for many meals. When cooking this vegetable you should try and slice it up, so that you diminish cooking time even further. Most dishes using Horseradish require you to prepare it before starting the dish, but only call for cooking it for a short time. Sine this vegetable cooks so quickly, it’s a good idea to supervise it closely so that it doesn’t get overcooked.

There are so many ways in which you can use Horseradish. Cook it in soups, chop it up and toss it in salads or use it as a side dish for different meat dishes. The list of Horseradish recipes is almost endless, mainly because this is a very popular vegetable in many countries and chefs are always coming up with innovative ways of preparing Horseradish. Many vegetarian menus place Horseradish within the top ten plants, but this nutritious vegetable is also used in many meat-based dishes.

Salads
If there is a modern favorite vegetable that you can use in salads it has to be Horseradish. This tasty and highly nutritious plant offers a perfect blend of taste, density and shape for any salad. Use it in strictly vegetarian dishes and salads or mix it up with fish or different dressings and sauces for an unforgettable taste.

Side Dishes
Although Horseradish has all the main qualities to become the “attraction” of the table, it is often used as a side dish. Many popular side dish recipes include Horseradish on their ingredient list, as this vegetable offers the right mix of taste and visual elements. Meat is often accompanied by Horseradish, as this creates and excellent balance from many point of view. From a nutritional point of view, Horseradish is a perfect complementary element for all sorts of meat, as it offers vitamins and soluble fibers. Using Horseradish in side dish recipes is also recommended because it aids digestion and makes even a heavier meal feel light.

Soups
Together with different other vegetables, Horseradish is one of the main ingredients of several tasty soups that are enjoyed all over the world. Since Horseradish takes a short time to cook, it’s a favorite vegetable ingredient for many cooks and professional chefs. In many recipes you will notice that the Horseradish is only added towards the end of the preparation time – this is because it cooks rapidly and adding it late enables it to keep most of its nutritious elements. Often combined with chopped and minced veggies, Horseradish may be used in different shapes as part of a soup.

Source

 * Vegetable of the Month: Root Vegetables by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, public domain government resource—original source of recipe