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Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Chrzan

April 4, 2012 by Mary Frances 2 Comments

Beets and horseradish on a white plate. Chrzan on a white plate.

No, it’s not a spelling mistake. This is the Polish word for horseradish, but my family used it to mean a dish with beets and horseradish. Chrzan is always a family favorite for Easter morning, served with fresh cooked Polish sausage (not smoked, but fresh or white kielbasa – find a Polish deli in your area), scrambled eggs, and homemade bread with rich butter. My father would always serve a little champagne as well. Somehow we have not kept up the champagne tradition but the bubbly with all of this is a great combination. As my brother Mark used to say, you need the fizz!

This is for you, Julie!

Julie is one of my nieces who made a special request for this recipe and I must tell you, I have a brand new great niece, Morgan, just born on the 27th! Food traditions are wonderful. I hope all you girls keep them up!

Now we all like this a bit hot. Actually the hotter the horseradish, the better. Everyone likes to nearly cry with their nostrils flaring, but these days, it’s hard to find really great horseradish. If you can find some Polish imports, those are best. Horseradish from Poland is a really pristine white, so pretty, not like the Gold’s you can readily find here. Ba-Tempte is another horseradish manufacturer from Brooklyn that is definitely acceptable.

Of course, it’s always about the ingredients. Get the best that you can and it’s best to roast your own beets and slice them thinly on a hand mandolin. Although my mother always used canned whole red beets and sliced them thin with a knife.

Here’s the recipe:

CHRZAN
One bunch of red beets, scrubbed, dried, sprinkled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, wrapped in aluminum foil and roasted at 400° for about an hour, until very tender when pierced with a skewer
OR one can of whole plain red beets, drained (not pickled)
2 tbs. sugar
1 tbs. white wine vinegar or plain white vinegar
Pinch of salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 jar of horseradish

If using fresh roasted red beets, peel them while still warm. Slice the beets very thinly, preferably on a hand mandolin. Sprinkle on the sugar, vinegar and salt. Toss carefully to combine (don’t break up your beautiful slices) and cover with a plate and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Drain the juice and save. Add the horseradish to taste (I usually add the whole jar) and toss carefully to combine. If you feel it’s dry, add back in some of the juice you saved, although I never do.

Enjoy!!

Filed Under: Sides Tagged With: champagne, chrzan, Easter breakfast, food traditions, fresh kielbasa, holiday traditions, homemade bread, horseradish, Polish, red beets, scrambled eggs

Indian Spiced Roast Beets!

November 9, 2011 by Mary Frances 4 Comments

This recipe is really different and so good. I love roasted beets on a salad with goat cheese and toasted walnuts. And then we have a family Polish dish of lightly pickled beets with horseradish that is wonderful with Polish sausage, eggs and homemade bread, but then after that, what do you do with beets besides roasting with olive oil, salt and pepper? Well here is just the recipe. It is really different and really delicious. It is a Melissa Clark recipe, Indian Spiced Roast Beets, from the New York Times that I have altered. I hope you like it as much as we did. Serve with LOVE and enjoy!

beets

INDIAN SPICED ROAST BEETS
Serves 4

1 3/4 pounds beets; a mix of red, and golden
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher or French grey salt, more to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 fat garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped with seeds
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon lime juice, more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the beets and cut into 1-inch chunks. Toss with the oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, then sprinkle with mustard seeds, coriander and cumin and roast until the beets are tender, about 15 minutes more.

While the beets roast, prepare the dressing: using the side of a knife or mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt until it forms a paste. Place sour cream in a bowl; whisk in garlic paste, jalapeño, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt and lime juice. Whisk in the cilantro or parsley.

Scrape the warm beets into a large bowl. Stir in the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Filed Under: Vegetables Tagged With: beets, coriander, cumin, ginger, golden beets, Indian spices, jalapeno, Melissa Clark, mustard seeds, red beets

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Mary Frances

Mary Frances

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