Chrain
Chrain is a spread based on two central ingredients: horseradish root which gives it its distinctive pungent taste, and beetroot which provides the nice red color and the sweetness which rounds up the taste. This wonderful sauce can accompany almost any dish, be it fish, meat or a cottage cheese sandwich, and it is an essential part of any Passover or Rosh Hashanah meal.
Freshly crushed horseradish root will work on your sinuses (similar to wasabi), so get ready to shed some tears when preparing chrain. I remember the times when I was a little kid and the family gathered for a Passover Seder. My grandmother would put a jar of chrain, she had prepared earlier this day, on the table. My grandfather would open the jar, pretend to smell it, and then with a surprised expression would say: "What is this? This chrain smells of gasoline!". I would grab the jar and smell it, immediately bursting into tears. This ritual happened year after year.
Homemade chrain can be kept in a refrigerator for months in an airtight jar. The following recipe will produce a very strong chrain, but you can play with the amounts to regulate the strength to whatever you desire.
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500 g (1 lb 2 oz) horseradish root
2 medium size beetroots
5 cm (2") ginger root
1/3 cup white vinegar
sugar
salt
Preparation time: 45 mins
Difficulty level: Easy
Servings: 6
Special equipment: Food processor
Ingredients
Preparation
Cook the beetroots until they are tender (you can stab them with a fork without effort).
Peel all the roots and grate them thinly in a food processor with a grating disk.
Change the disk into chopping blade, add the vinegar and process until all blended together.
Add salt to taste and sugar if needed and blend them in.
Put in an airtight jar, wipe your tears and keep in the fridge.
