Versatile Horseradish Enhances Flavors In A Wide Variety Of Dishes

Horseradish is something that most of us associate with middle-European cooking.

It’s a delicious condiment whose spiciness foils the unctuous mouth-feel of fatty cuts of beef. There’s nothing more divine than dissolving some prepared horseradish into a bowl of boiled beef short ribs.

I can’t really enjoy a rare roasted prime rib of beef without the traditional horseradish sour cream that accompanies it. But then, my favorite part of a prime rib is the fatty outer layer that’s been rendered crisp and ever so slightly burnt by hours of slow roasting.

Horseradish, because of its piquancy, is also an indispensable ingredient in steak tartare; it civilizes the raw meat. Horseradish is a member of the mustard family and the oil that makes horseradish fiery is the same one that makes mustard spicy.

In Scandinavia, horseradish accompanies gravlax, cured uncooked salmon. When served with cooked salmon, it mitigates the fatty feel of the fish much as it does with fatty beef. In fact, horseradish, prepared by itself or cooked in a sauce, is the flavor to accompany fatty fish such as mackerel, blue fish and carp.

In the south of France is a fishing village, Collioure, famous for two things. It was the summer haven for a group of painters during the early years of this century, called collectively “Les Fauves.” It also is the name of a horseradish sauce for fish and seafood.

Sauce Collioure is a lemon, horseradish and mustard cream sauce, with or without capers, that goes particularly well with grilled or steamed Mediterranean fish such as daurade or red mullet. In typical French manner, the bite of both horseradish and mustard is masked by the addition of cream.

Horseradish is the most important ingredient in the classic American cocktail sauce. You may think it’s the ketchup that you like in cocktail sauce, but I promise you, the ketchup is there to add a sweet juxtaposition to the horseradish. And the lemon juice adds just enough puckering acidity to marry these two opposite sensations.

Pick out a fresh horseradish root at the market (they’re harvested in both spring and fall) and you’ll find it innocent enough. A gnarled, tough thing it is to look at, but with no attributes of aroma. It’s volativity erupts, however, when the root is cut and the oils come in contact with air. That’s why it’s important to always use the freshest horseradish possible.

I prefer to grate my own. If you use prepared horseradish, don’t let it sit too long in the fridge after opening the jar; it loses its bite quicker than you’d like to think.

Steak Tartare

Serve this immediately with warm toast or fresh dark bread. Serve french-fried potatoes and begin the meal with a salad of braised, steamed or sauteed vegetables.

16 anchovy fillets

1/3 cup capers, drained

1 tablespoon grated horseradish, preferably fresh

3 tablespoons grainy mustard

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

2 tablespoons finely minced shallots

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or to taste

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons virgin olive oil

1 3/4 pounds freshly ground top round

Place 4 plates in refrigerator to chill.

Chop 12 anchovies together with capers and place in mixing bowl. Add horseradish, mustards, parsley, shallots and Tabasco sauce. Add egg yolks and lemon juice and mix well. Slowly beat in oil, mixing until absorbed. (May be prepared up to 2 hours in advance to this point and refrigerated.)

Add beef to mixing bowl and mix gently. Then using 2 forks, mash meat with other ingredients to blend. Mound on chilled plates. Garnish with remaining 4 anchovies.

Yield: 4 servings.

Poached Red Mullet or Snapper with Sauce Collioure

4 fillets of red mullet or red snapper (about 6 ounces each)

Salt, pepper

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup water

Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish or good-quality bottled variety

2 tablespoons grainy mustard

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon butter

Place fillets in saucepan large enough to hold them comfortably. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Pour in wine, water and lemon juice. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.

Using slotted spatula or spoon, carefully remove fish from poaching liquid. Cover and keep warm in oven at 200 degrees.

Add horseradish, mustard, capers and cream to saucepan. Increase heat to medium and cook until sauce is saucelike and thick enough to coat back of spoon, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Arrange fillets on platter. Spoon sauce over fish and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

Braised Beef Short Ribs In Horseradish Broth

This dish is good accompanied with buttered noodles or boiled potatoes.

1 medium onion, finely minced (about 1 cup)

1 medium carrot, finely minced (about 1/2 cup)

1 celery stalk, finely sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 pounds beef short ribs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

2 tablespoons prepared or fresh horseradish

Mix together onions, carrot, celery, garlic and tomato paste. Place in roasting pan large enough to comfortably hold ribs in single layer. Arrange ribs on top, bones down, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and braise at 350 degrees 1 hour.

Remove from oven. Place ribs on their sides. Add broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover and bake 1 hour longer.

Remove from oven. Remove ribs and set aside. Strain braising liquid, discarding vegetables. Carefully remove and discard fat that has collected on surface of liquid. Add horseradish to broth. Place ribs in soup bowls and ladle some broth into bowls.

Yield: 4 servings.

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