Making & Storing Horseradish

 The photo on the left shows the biggest or gnarliest pieces of horseradish I pulled from the ground. I tucked away more then enough root stock to replant some fresh in the spring, and have been making batches of horseradish here and there with different meals. It's a ridiculously easy process. If you are use fresh dug horseradish I recommend peeling the larger pieces and rinsing them small ones as best as possible.
Horseradish root is really interesting. If you manage not to pierce the outer skin of the root you will barely notice an aroma. Once you cut, grind, or expose the root it starts to breakdown and the cells release an extremely pungent and flavorful oil we know as horseradish!

diced horseradish ready to be ground

Homemade Horseradish:
3 oz horseradish root. cleaned and diced.
white vinegar I used 2.5 tbls
Place diced horseradish into food processor or mixer & grind and chop until the desired consistency is achieved. Add vinegar to neutralize the smell. The longer you let the ground horseradish sit before adding vinegar the stronger 'horseradish' flavor there will be. For a light flavor add more vinegar right away & for a strong flavor wait 4-6 minutes and add less vinegar.(note: make sure you are in a well ventilated room with a fan going and a window open, as the aroma given off is EXTREMELY strong. Strong enough that, like an idiot, when I disregarded this warning and took a big huge whiff off the lid of the grinder after running it, and resting it for 3 min. I instantaneously let out a huge yell and ran from the room. My sinus' haven't been that clear since my disco days!) Once vinegar added briefly process again. Pour off excess liquid and refrigerate.  The longer the horseradish sits the 'weaker the taste will be. However the 2-3 months at most it will be in the refrigerator shouldn't see much loss of flavor. It's great to mix with a favorite mustard or mayo to give it that extra zing!

result: 1 full jar + some extra

I store the extra horseradish wrapped in some newspaper in the freezer. When I need some I pull it out, peel  and dice what I need and return the rest to the freezer. I also have more then enough 'seed stock' to plant some of my own and pass a few off on others. I planted 5 of those things in a really small space, probably where I should have planted 2 or 3 tops so I got a good mix of big and small pieces. I cut some down to size and set them aside as seed stock after we initially harvested the 4 plants. 1 more is over wintering under straw in the hopes that I can dig some up fresh in April for Passover!
I cannot stress enough the warning that you should be in a very well ventilated room and preferably wearing a mask or dishtowel over your mouth and nose. When I got a big whiff of just the cap I screamed holy fuck that is hot and ran away in real pain. don't be like me, at least cover your mouth and nose with a t-shirt. you will smell the horseradish but it won't be nearly as painful.

2 pots of Chili & Rosemary Bread

Weekend cooking included:

2 pots of chili:

Vegetarian Chili (top) Stew Meat & Leftover Steak Chili (bottom)

2 Chili's. 2 methods. The vegetarian chili was cooked slow & low on the stove while the carnivore's chili was cooked slow and low on the crock pot.

Chili Basics:

2 Cans each: Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans

multiple cans of tomato: peeled, diced, whole (any variety)

3-4 fresh tomatoes diced

1 can chipotle in adobo

yellow onions

2 green bell peppers

various other peppers (your choice depending on how hot you like it)

3-6 cloves of garlic finely minced

black pepper

chili powder

dried peppers

chili oil

multiple pieces very dark chocolate

cocoa-chili powder blend.

1/4-1/2 cup dark delicious beer.

For Vegetarian Chili: 1 cup frozen corn

For Meat Chili: Meats you like. I prefer a ground beef, stew meat, sausage mixture (For the chili pictured I used stew meat and leftover steak)

Mix well. Cook on low for a LONG time, stirring often.

I have not posted portions/measurements because a good chili takes much mastery, and the portions of the various ingredients are really up to the cook. I won't divulge my exact chili recipe because it is constantly changing and my lil secret :-).

The lady and I now have multiple jars of both vegetarian and meatastic chili frozen for the near future!

Rosemary Bread:

The lady and I recently acquired a slightly used Bread Maker from the ladies parents. I've been working on mastering the machine and making my own bread. The Rosemary Bread is easily my most successful attempt to date:

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast.

Place ingredients in bread maker as recommended by manufacturer. Set to White Bread.

The bread came out fluffy, delicious and flavorful. I used a homemade herb infused olive oil.

I would be remiss if I did not point out my hilarious kitchen (mis)adventure:

Before I set out to make the rosemary bread I was attempting to make a beer bread when I inadvertently substituted confectioners sugar for flour. Luckily I noticed this before the machine was turned on. It ended with a positive though: Rosemary Bread!

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