My family isn’t really close to the Jewish traditions. We don’t celebrate most of the holidays and the various Jewish customs aren’t really present in our lives. However there were always two holidays that are celebrated in a large and festive meals – Rosh HaShana and Passover Seder. For every such event my grandma prepares a very specific menu that includes chicken soup with Kneidlach (Matzah balls), Gefilte fish and Chrein, all hand made from scratch. In Passover the menu include also Charoset and rice with surprises.
If there is a dish in the world that I would never eat it is Gefilte fish… but Chrein is a different story. Every Seder I find myself drawn to this super hot and totally addictive spread and eat lots of it on top of a Matzah. You can’t compare store bough Chrein with the home made one, the taste is different but the main differentiation is the extreme and magical pungency of the home made version. The type of pungency that goes up to the forehead and down to the nose opening all your Chakras 🙂
There are two versions for Chrein – one in which the beetroots are cooked and another in which the beetroot are raw. I obviously follow my grandma’s version in which the beetroots are cooked and I haven’t tried yet the raw version. Since the Chrein is practically a spicy, seet and tasty spread you can eat it all year round and spread it simply on bread or use it anywhere you would have used mustard.
For the upcoming Passover Seder I interviewed my grandma and got her Chrein recipe. The recipe didn’t come with the exact amounts since grandma doesn’t cook like that, but after few tryouts I figured them out.
Prep time: 1 hour for the beetroots + 10 minutes for everything else
Ingredients (1.5 cups of Chrein)
- 150 gr horseradish root
- 3 small cooked beetroots (about 350 grams after cooking)
- 1 tbs sugar
- 2 tbs white vinegar
- pinch of salt
Directions
Cook the beetroot in a pot filled with water for about an hour or until they are soft. Peel and set aside. You can skip this stage by buying pre-cooked beetroots which are kept in vacuum (can be found in any supermarket).
Peel the horseradish root and grate it on the thinnest side of the grater. Note that similarly to grating an onion the horseradish pungency will make you cry so I suggest doing that next to an open window. Grate the cooked and peeled beetroots using the same thin grater.
Mix well. Gradually add the vinegar – the beetroot and horseradish mixture should absorb it and not soak in it. Add sugar and a little salt. Carefully taste a really small amount (beware! it’s super hot!) and adjust the seasoning.
Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 3 hours on the counter for the tastes to combine. The Chrein can be kept in a sealed box for a week or two but it will lose some of its pugency after few days.
Comments and suggestions
Horseradish is a plant with edible leaves and root. The root is large and white and when you cut or grate it an enzime is released. This enzime is in charge of the special hot taste of the horseradish root. Make sure you buy a root which is completely white without any green parts.
Horseradish and beetroot ratio – the ratio doesn’t have to be accurate and it depends on the level of hotness you prefer. The more beetroots you’ll add the less pungent the Chrein will be.
In short
Cook 3 small beetroots in water for an hour or until they are soft. Peel and set aside. You should get about 350 gr cooked beetroot. Peel 150 gr horseradish root and grate on the thinnest side of a grate. Grate the cooked beetroot on the same grater and add to the horseradish. Mix well. Gradually add 2 tbs white vinegar and mix so the vinegar will be absorbed in the mixture. Add 1 tbs sugar and a pinch of salt. Carefully taste (beware! it’s super hot!!) and adjust the seasoning. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for 3 hours. Serve with Matzah/bread/Challa/Gefilte Fish. Can be kept sealed in the fridge for a week or two.
