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Every year around Easter, my mom and grandma would gather to grate this.

Horseradish.

A cruciferous vegetable commonly mixed with vinegar, salt and served as a condiment, this root shares the same family as wasabi, but they are not the same. Both can pack a punch you may not soon forget – which is why Mom and Grandma Frances would grate the freshly picked root on the back porch in spring (better ventilation).

Horseradish grew in our backyard in Dearborn, MI. Rhubarb too. I never thought much about either as a kid, but now I think it’s pretty cool. Many people have never tasted horseradish, and I don’t remember it as part of Polish culture, so why was it growing free willy in the back? Did Dad plant it? Mom? Maybe it was already planted when they bought the house in the 1950’s?  Too late to ask now 🙁

It’s the late 1970’s. I get home from school and look out the back door. Mom is in pants and Grandma in house dress and glasses. I smell the horseradish. They’re sitting on the steps grating away for Easter, preparing special memories for us. It’s April in Michigan, and one of those special days when the sun is out and winter starts feeling like spring. I can still feel it – 40+ years later.

The back steps of my childhood home, 40 years later

Horseradish was key to my family’s Easter brunch “egg smash” game. Armed with colored eggs, family members quick-tapped eggs, forcibly, yet success was all in the pullback. Not too hard. Keep control.

The object is to crack the other guy’s egg, and leave yours untouched. Winners compete until one egg is standing. Afterwards enjoy your egg with a horseradish chaser that might just explode fumes up your nose in what some may call aggravated ecstasy.

When my beautiful mommy passed away late last year, I inherited her cookbook, and the horseradish recipe (from “Ma” [Julia Stec] my Dad’s mom.)

I searched numerous stores and markets for the root, but nothing seemed fresh. If anyone knows a good source, please leave it in the comment section. No matter, I followed Mom’s recipe, and screamed at completion. Oh my – way too much vinegar! Was it really 1 cup vinegar/ 1 pound radish? Salt and sugar couldn’t balance; the taste was overwhelming and not what I remember. Can my older palette not handle acid like my younger palette did?

But I can’t ask Mom for clarification cuz she’s not around 🙁 And online recipes seem stuck in the same ol’ radish + vinegar + salt (+ maybe cream). I started experimenting. Basically, what we have here is fresh grated radish looking for a dressing. The Japanese add soy sauce and toasted sesame oil to grated daikon. How about squeeze out the extra vinegar, and add fresh lemon juice (higher pH/ less acidity)? Then a little fat-rich olive oil to mellow the acid?

So here’s the recipe I ended up with for Farm to Fork at Burlingame library. Irreverent to Mom’s original, I was nervous to serve this new-fangled version in class, and bought a bottle of horseradish just in case. We served both side-by-side for a taste comparison.

Homemade on left. Store bought on right..

And guess what?

Class liked my version better!

Don’t tell mom.

Mom’s Horseradish Gets an Updo    

Makes approximately 2 cups

1# grated horseradish root

¼ – ¾’s cup champagne vinegar, brown rice vinegar and/or lemon juice (to taste)

A couple teaspoons olive oil (or not)

1-3 teaspoons sugar (or not)

Salt to taste

Fresh dill

Open your windows, peel the horseradish, and grate with the smallest holes of a hand grater – the littlest ones that look like popcorn popping. Still too chunky? Whirl the grated parts in food processor until chopped fine, add a little water if you need to grind, and then drain.  Wait a few minutes for the horseradish to “cure,” then add seasonings to taste. Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate. Serve on hard boiled eggs with fresh dill, or mix with mayo or melted butter for a zippy artichoke dip.

NOTE: The amount of moisture added depends on the freshness of the root. Also – the longer you wait to add vinegar the stronger the result because vinegar stops the chemical process which gives horseradish heat. For a milder result, add vinegar immediately. For more kick, wait 2 to 5 minutes after grating.

Still Looking for that Perfect Easter Dessert?

On a separate holiday note, please check out the Easter collection at French bakery Maison Alyzee for a little piece of Paris. Amazingly beautiful Easter cakes, rolls, and handmade ever-so-fine Valrhona Easter Eggs. Open this weekend till 10 PM. Such mastery – wow!

Maison Alyzee – 212 Castro St, Mountain View

I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for years. From a teen - 20's eating disorder, to starting one of the country's first food and environment education programs, to building a 20+ year...

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