Fermentools is all about getting healthy bacteria into our guts any way we can. The probiotic red horseradish sauce is one way to sneak them in. In fact, we have recipes for several lacto-fermented condiments that you may like. Try a few and let us know how you like them.
Red or pink horseradish sauce is traditionally served on the spring festive table in Eastern Europe. It is a carminative digestive sauce that awakens the senses, kindles the inner digestive fire, and makes the meal memorable. It is commonly found on the Passover table near the gefilte fish. But it is also good with roast beef, lamb, venison or chicken.
This probiotic red horseradish sauce uses kombucha vinegar to halt the burn of the horseradish while adding a hit of preserving probiotics. If you make kombucha, you’ve probably got a quart jar of over-done kombucha sitting on the counter ready for a recipe like this.
Working with horseradish
Horseradish is a deceptive herb. When you are harvesting, washing and peeling it, it seems easy going, like a country bumpkin. But when you whirl it in your food processor, you’ll wonder where this stinging warrior came from. Within the cells of this white root are hot volatile oils, which are released when the cells are crushed. Horseradish is similar to garlic and onions in this characteristic. Pungent, hot volatile oils fill the air, making your eyes water, your sinuses clear and tears come to your eyes. Prepare raw horseradish in a well-ventilated space. If you have onion goggles, you may want to use them when preparing horseradish. Avert your face from the food processor when you remove the lid or you will feel the sting of horseradish in your lungs and sinuses, and your eyes will water.
Timing is everything
But the volatile oils in horseradish are quenched with acid. Timing is everything. The longer you leave the grated horseradish before you put the acid in, the hotter the horseradish sauce will be. If you want sinus-clearing, throat-searing horseradish, wait up to 30 minutes, from the time you grate the horseradish until you pour on the acid, salt, and sugar. If you want a milder horseradish, have the acid, salt, and sugar ready before you start grating the horseradish root. Then pour it on immediately.
Prepared horseradish is commonly made with white vinegar, but other acids can be used including lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, cider vinegar or, in this case, kombucha that has turned to vinegar. Using kombucha vinegar will add the good probiotics in the kombucha to the condiment and help to preserve the sauce a little longer.
How to Make Probiotic Red Horseradish Sauce
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
- ½ lb. horseradish root, about 3- 6 to 8-inch roots
- 2 medium red beets
- ¾ cup of kombucha vinegar
- 1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
- 2 tsp. sugar
Directions:
- Place two washed, whole red beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 30 minutes, or until tender. Rinse under cold water until they are cool enough to handle, and the skins slip. Remove the skins. Chop the beets into ½ inch cubes. Set aside.
- Wash the horseradish root well. Peel it to remove the outer skin. Cut the root into one-inch pieces and place in a food processor with the chopping blade, along with the cubed beets. Wait if you want up to 30 minutes or proceed immediately with the next step. The longer you wait the more pungent your horseradish will be.
- Pour the kombucha vinegar, salt, and sugar over the horseradish. Continue processing in the food processor until the sauce is smooth and well-blended.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl. Put the prepared horseradish in a clean, glass pint jar. Cap tightly. Refrigerate. This will keep for a month in the fridge.
Prepare this the day before you plan to serve it to allow the flavors to meld.
How to Use Prepared Probiotic Red Horseradish
Serve it with roast beef, roast lamb or gefilte fish, anytime. Serving horseradish with fatty foods or with a heavy meal will improve digestion. You can mix this with mayonnaise to make a more pungent mayonnaise for deli sandwiches.
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Whether you want to make probiotic fig butter or sauerkraut in a Mason jar, Fermentools has what you need. Our fermentation lids for Mason jars are made of surgical steel to last a lifetime. Get a 6-pack today.
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Chris is a teacher, author, gardener, and herbalist with 30+ years’ of growing herbs and formulating herbal remedies, skin care products, soaps, and candles. She teaches workshops and writes extensively about gardening, crafts, scratch cooking, fermentation, medicinal herbs, and traditional skills on her blog at JoybileeFarm.com. Chris is the author of The Beginner’s Book of Essential Oils, Learning to Use Your First 10 Essential Oils with Confidence and Homegrown Healing, from Seed to Apothecary. Her newest book is “The Beeswax Workshop, How to Make Your Own Natural Candles, Cosmetics, Cleaners, Soaps, Healing Balms, and More” with Ulysses Press (2017). Chris is a contributing writer to The Biblical Herbal Magazine, The Fermentools Blog, and the Attainable Sustainable blog. Her books are available on Amazon. Chris lives with her husband Robin in the mountains of British Columbia on a 140-acre ranch where they raise lamb. They have 3 adult children and 3 granddaughters.