horseradish-msg – 1/7/08
Period use of horseradish. Recipes. Candied horseradish root.
NOTE: See also the files: onions-msg, garlic-msg, mustard-msg, spices-msg, sauces-msg, leeks-msg, ginger-msg, cinnamon-msg, herbs-msg.
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This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
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Stefan at florilegium.org
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Date: Fri, 3 Apr 1998 23:11:21 -0800
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Garden time
> On the same line, Horseradish recipes????? Please?
There's a recipe for a horseradish sauce in the German corpus. Horseradish
root, vinegar, a bit of sugar and spice, if memory serves. Tasted just like
the non-cream style stuff out of the jar.
- --AM
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 14:49:35 -0500
From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>
Subject: SC - Digby's Horseradish Mustard
> Digby has a Ginger horseradish mustard sauce: can someone get that
> for me?
>
> Caointiarn
Here you go -
From Sir Kenelme Digby's Closet Opened
"To Make Mustard
<snip - see mustard-msg>
And here is another plain horseradish sauce.
"Sauce of Horse Radish
Take Roots of Horse-radish scraped clean, and lay them to soak in
fair-water for an hour. Then rasp them upon a Grater, and you shall have
them all in a tender spungy Pap. Put Vinegar to it, and a very little
Sugar, not so much as to be tasted, but to quicken (by contrariety) the
taste of the other."
Christianna
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 18:50:23 -0500
From: harper at idt.net
Subject: SC - Sauces
I went to a baronial potluck today. As a contribution, I brought a
loaf of bread, sliced roast beef, and three sauces. One was the
Cider Sauce from Granado which I posted recently. Another was
the horseradish sauce from Nola, and the third was a garlic sauce
from Granado. They were all well received, though the Cider Sauce
was probably the most popular.
I've posted the translation for the Horseradish sauce before, but
here's the redaction:
* Exported from MasterCook *
Horseradish-Honey Sauce
Recipe By : de Nola #157
Serving Size : 20 Preparation Time :0:05
Categories : Sauces Spanish
Vegan Vegetarian
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
- -------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 slice italian bread -- toasted lightly
4 oz horseradish -- finely grated
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Peel and finely grate the horseradish root. Place in the container
of a blender or food processor. Soak the toasted bread in the
vinegar. Add to the horseradish. Blend a moment until mixed.
Add the remaining ingredients, adjusting as necessary for taste.
Add just enough water to make a smooth sauce that is not too thin.
CAUTION: avoid breathing in the fumes from the sauce.
Just before serving, heat the sauce on low heat until warm. Do not
boil.
For a hotter sauce, wait 3 minutes before adding the bread and
vinegar to the horseradish. For a less fiery sauce, add the vinegar
promptly after grating the horseradish.
If fresh horseradish root is unavailable, take a 6-oz jar of prepared
horseradish. Empty the contents into a mesh sieve, and press
lightly with a spoon to drain off the excess liquid. Reduce added
vinegar to 1 tablespoon. Proceed as above. However, this method
produces a much milder sauce.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
<snip of Garlic Sauce with Walnuts and Almonds - see sauces-msg >
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 23:41:32 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - horseradish root
Robin Carroll-Mann wrote:
> On 18 Apr 01,, Stefan li Rous wrote:
> > Recently I saw whole horseradish root. How would you use this? I assume
> > not in mead :-). What would you do to go from fresh horseradish root
> > to horseradish sauce? Any period recipes for fresh horseradish? I don't
> > remember many that use horseradish at all.
>
> Well, there's the honey-horseradish sauce from de Nola.
> Guaranteed to put a spring in your step. :-)
There's also a horseradish-laced mustard in Digby, FWIW. Wonderful
stuff. IIRC, you cut the root into chunks and let them steep in the
prepared mustard for a week or so. I don't recall if they are supposed
to be removed for service. Of course, Digby is post-period.
The simplest horseradish sauce (and the most common today, I'd say) is
found, I believe, in several period sources (possibly with a little
sugar added) as grated horseradish root in a little vinegar.
Adamantius
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 07:40:20 -0600From: Sue Clemenger <mooncat at in-tch.com>Subject: Re: SC - horseradish rootIIRC, (not enough coffee yet this a.m.) one of the recipes in Rumpoldtis for pickled beets, and it has horseradish in it.
- --Maire
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 09:50:32 -0500From: "Michael Gunter" <countgunthar at hotmail.com>Subject: SC - non-member submission - Re: Horseradish Root>Stefan said:>Recently I saw whole horseradish root. How would you use this? I assume>not in mead :-). What would you do to go from fresh horseradish root>to horseradish sauce? Any period recipes for fresh horseradish? I don't>remember many that use horseradish at all.Be as careful with fresh horseradish as you would with jalapenos. The recipesI've seen using horseradish call for finely grating it and adding vinegar. Thefumes off the horseradish while being grated is nearly as potent as jalapenofumes and much worse than chopped onions. I believe I saw a recipe in Welserinor Rumpolt yesterday using a horseradish root to stir the mustard. If I havetime, I'll double check.Liadan
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 10:57:12 -0400From: Elaine Koogler <ekoogler at chesapeake.net>Subject: Re: SC - horseradish rootYes, what I used was "store-bought", though it was made by the Amish and sold in one of their markets. So it was as close to home-made and period as you could probably get and still purchase it!I have never made my own horseradish, but would suspect you'd do something like peel the root, chop/grind/shred it into VERY small pieces, then age it with some kind of liquid...my guess would be some kind of white vinegar. (I say vinegar because I know it can bring out the hot in things...if you add it to Chinese mustard or wasabi, it makes them hotter than using water). Kiri
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 15:06:21 From: "Vincent Cuenca" <bootkiller at hotmail.com>Subject: SC - Re: horseradish rootThe "traditional" British preparation is to peel the root like a carrot, grate it finely and mix with unsweetened whipped cream, IIRC.Here's the raw data from de Nola:Parsley Take parsley and remove the little stems; and remove the leaves carefully and clean them, and grind the leaves thoroughly in a mortar; and once they are well ground toast a large piece of bread, and soak it in white vinegar; and grind it with the parsley; and once it is well ground add a little pepper to the mortar; and mix it well with the parsley and the bread: and then add honey, which should be dissolved, to the mortar; stirring it constantly and well until the honey is incorporated with the sauce; and if the sauce is very thick, thin it with a little watered vinegar, so that it does not get too sour; and once this is done take two smooth pebbles from the sea or a river; and put them in the fire, and when they are well colored and red, add them to the mortar with some tongs in such a way that they cool there: and once all this is done check its flavor, and do this in a way that it tastes a little of pepper, and a little sour and sweet and of parsley; and if any of these flavors are lacking balance them.Sauce of Horseradish and of Clary Sage A sauce can be made from the root of the horseradish and from sage leaves in the same way as parsley.Let us know what you come up with!Vicente
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 11:39:29 -0400From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <rcmann4 at earthlink.net>Subject: Re: SC - horseradish rootOn 19 Apr 01,, Elaine Koogler wrote:> And the recipe for that is......??????> > KiriI thought I'd sent it to the list previously, but maybe not. Vincente has kindly provided the translation of the original, which does not differ significantly from mine, so I'll just add my redaction:4 ounces horseradish root, peeled and finely grated1 slice Italian or French bread, crusts trimmed, toasted3 tablespoons white wine vinegar1/2 cup honey1/4 cup water1/2 teaspoon black pepperPeel and finely grate the horseradish root. Place in the container of a blender or food processor. Soak the toasted bread in the vinegar. Add to the horseradish. Blend a moment until mixed. For a hotter sauce, wait 3 minutes before adding the bread and vinegar to the horseradish. For a less fiery sauce, add the vinegar promptly after grating the horseradish. Add the remaining ingredients, adjusting as necessary for taste. Add just enough water to make a smooth sauce that is not too thin. Just before serving, heat the sauce on low heat until warm. Do not boil.If fresh horseradish root is unavailable, take a 6-oz jar of prepared horseradish. Empty the contents into a mesh sieve, and press lightly with a spoon to drain off the excess liquid. Reduce added vinegar to 1 tablespoon. Proceed as above. This is not as pungent as sauce made from fresh horseradish root.Important note: Horseradish fumes are very strong. Work carefully in a well-ventilated area. If your skin is sensitive, you may wish to wear gloves while handling the horseradish root.
Lady Brighid ni ChiarainSettmour Swamp, East (NJ)
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 12:12:47 -0700
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: SC - horseradish root
Kiri wrote:
>And the recipe for that is......??????
>
>I apologize if you've already published it, but I had to ask ;-)
Yep, she did - i see she has reposted it. And i used it at my Boar
Hunt - so there's also my version of her version of de Nola on line at
http://witch.drak.net/lilinah/menu.html
My mother bought a Cuisinart way back when (the 70's? the 80's?) and
then hardly ever used it. So last summer i took it home with me and
used it at the feast.
We washed then peeled the horseradish. Probably a good idea to wear
thin rubber gloves when handling it... Then i fed it into the food
processor, after i cut it in large-ish bits. I would have liked it
more finely grated - i probably just didn't use the right blade - i
*think* i have all my mom's blades, but no book on what to use for
what, so i was just kinda guessing.
Doing it in a machine makes it much easier on whoever is preparing it
- - less harsh stuff on the hands, fewer fumes in the face.
Now, i have a question: how does horseradish become milder? With
mustard, it's the passage of a few days. Is it the same with
horseradish?
I made it on site that afternoon and served it with the roast pork
legs around 7 PM, along with recipes from Lady Brighid for Spiced
Apple Cider Sauce and Garlic Nut Sauce.
Anahita
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 13:24:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: Chris Stanifer <jugglethis at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: SC - horseradish root
- --- Elaine Koogler <ekoogler at chesapeake.net> wrote:
> On most blenders there is a grate cycle, so you
> could possibly use one of those
> as well. I think if I were using a food processor,
> I'd probably try using the
> chopping blade as it seems to chop things up pretty
> well.
The best way to use horseradish (according to a
horseradish afficianado...me) is to peel it to remove
the tough "bark", and then simply shred it with a box
grater, much as you would a chunk of cheddar. I can't
vouch for the need to wear gloves or eye protection,
since I am not sensitive to these kinds of things
(onion, jalapenos, horseradish...t'aint no thang).
Balthazar of Blackmoor
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2001 23:52:54 -0400
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <rcmann4 at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: SC - horseradish root
On 22 Apr 01,, LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
> I followed your redaction until this part. The original recipe says to drop
> to red hot stones into the mixture and then allow to cool. I may be wreong
> but I was wondering why you decided to serve the sauce warm?
Ah. Here we have a difference of choice of words between two
translations. Vincente's translation, which was the one posted,
used the word "cool" in reference to the stones. Mine says:
"take two smooth pebbles from the sea or river, and cast them in the fire,
and when they shall be quite ruddy and red, cast them with some tongs
in the mortar in such a manner that they are extinguished there, and when
all this is done taste it for flavor..."
The Spanish is "que se amaten alli". "Amatar", according to the
1726 RAE dictionary means
1. An archaic form of the verb "matar", 'to kill'
2. To put out and to extinguish the fire, the light, thirst, hunger, etc.
"Se amaten" is the reflexive form of the verb, so a more literal
translation would be "so that they [the pebbles] extinguish
themselves there..."
I took this to mean that the heated pebbles will lose their red glow
and transfer their heat to the sauce. Since there is no instruction
to let the sauce sit until it is completely cool, I assumed it would
be served warm.
Now, obviously, the pebbles do cool off in the process of being
dunked in the sauce. Vincente, would you care to jump in and say
how you read this? Anyone else?
> Also if I am not
> mistaken the original also indicates that the suace is to be thinned with
> diluted vinegar as opposed to water alone.
My redaction calls for 3 TBS white wine vinegar -- although I
recommend reducing that quantity if one is using prepared
horseradish from a jar, as that already contains vinegar. I think you
may have missed that line. If something got lost in the cut and
paste, let me know, and I will repost.
> I am looking forward to your responce.
I would appreciate your comments on the culinary side of this.
Although I have heard of cooking with heated rocks, I understood it
was a technique that was used in cultures/situations where
cooking vessels that could be put on a fire were not available. This
is the only example I have seen in late-period cuisine. Why might
this technique be used, rather than setting the pot over some
embers?
> Ras
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 10:27:14 -0400
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <rcmann4 at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: SC - horseradish root
On 23 Apr 01,, Philip & Susan Troy wrote:
> I wonder if perhaps the hot-rock thing in this recipe has to do with
> protecting the ultimate consumer against off-flavors in reactive containers.
>
> Adamantius
Maybe, but when Nola wants a non-reactive pot, he usually seems
to specify earthenware. A recipe for pickled eggplant, for instance,
instructs the cook to use vessel of earthen ware and *not* of iron.
For some recipes he calls for a new pot that has never been used,
or one that has been recently glazed or tinned.
I figured that there had to be something about this method of
heating (and I do think this is a sauce served warm) that is different
from heating it over a fire or in an oven. I know that cooking
reduces the bite of horseradish. Maybe this sudden-shock method
affects the flavor less than a gradual, lengthy warming over coals?
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 07:09:49 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - horseradish root
rcmann4 at earthlink.net wrote:
> On 23 Apr 01,, LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
> > I will try the recipe and see what differences there are in the 2 techniques
> > (rocks or heating over a fire). I suspect the the rocks would caramalize the
> > sugars and add a nutty taste that would not be apparent with simple stove
> > top heating.
>
> Wonderful! This is not a method that I feel confident trying. I look
> forward to your report.
I wonder if perhaps suitably cleaned and seasoned, large steel ball
bearings might be good to experiment with. They might be somewhat less
liable to crack and shatter suddenly than some river stones.
Adamantius
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 10:44:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robin Carroll-Mann <rcmann4 at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: SC - horseradish root
- ------Original Message------
From: Jenne Heise <jenne at mail.browser.net>
> << I do think this is a sauce served warm) >>
> Why do you think this is a sauce served warm? The recipe specifies
'cool'.
Yes, but is the sauce supposed to cool or the rocks?
- -------------------------------
The rocks. Here's my translation of this recipe, since it's my redaction
we're discussing, and the exact wording has become an issue:
You must take the parsley and remove the roots, and strip off the leaves
very well and clean it; and grind those leaves a great deal in a mortar; and
after it is well-ground, toast a crustless piece of bread, and soak it in
white vinegar, and grind it with the parsley; and after it is well-ground,
cast a little pepper into the mortar, and mix it well with the parsley and
the bread. And then cast in honey, which should be melted, in the mortar,
stirring constantly in one direction until the honey incorporates itself
with the sauce in the mortar; and if the sauce should be very thick, thin it
with a little watered vinegar, so that it should not be very sour; and
having done that, take two smooth pebbles from the sea or river, and cast
them in the fire; and when they shall be quite ruddy and red, cast them with
some tongs in the mortar in such a manner that they are extinguished there;
and when all this is done, taste it for flavor. And make it in such a
manner that it tastes a little of pepper, and a little sweet-sour, and of
parsley; and if any of these things is lacking, temper [the dish] with it.
In the same manner as the parsley, you can also make sauce from the root of
the horseradish. And the same from the leaves of clary sage.
*****
I've discussed the meaning of "amatar" in a previous post. The phrase "se
amaten alli", which I have translated as "they are extinguished there"
definitely refers to the rocks/pebbles.
As I see it, the recipes has the following steps:
1. mix sauce
2. heat rocks to glowing
3. throw rocks in sauce (hiss, sizzle, sputter)
4. remove rocks
5. adjust seasoning as necessary
The question is, what kind of gap is there between steps 3 and 4? How much
do the rocks have to cool before they can be considered "extinguished"?
Since the word used is the same one that is used to describe putting out a
fire, or turning off a light, I think the implication is that it's pretty
instantaneous. You throw the rocks in, they lose their glow and transfer
their heat to the sauce, and then they are promptly removed. I think if the
sauce was meant to sit until it had thoroughly cooled, that the recipe would
say so.
But this is my interpretation, based purely on the wording of the recipe. I
have not tried this particular cooking technique. Lord Ras' experiments may
give us a clearer answer.
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 16:16:35
From: "Vincent Cuenca" <bootkiller at hotmail.com>
Subject: SC - Re: horseradish
I think part of the problem here is my fault. I mistranslated the verb
"amatar" as "to cool" rather than "to quench". My understanding of the
process is to prepare the sauce in the mortar, and then shock it with the
hot stones. As far as I can tell, there is nothing indicating whether the
sauce should be served hot or cold. It seems to be a matter of personal
preference, as is much of the material in de Nola.