For Russian people a combination of fatty and spicy food is quite traditional. For example, kholodec (meat jelly) with mustard and horseradish, borscht with bacon and garlic, meat with hot adjika sauce. All these dishes are designed to warm you in cold winter time. There is nothing better than to come in from the cold and eat hot soup with a piece of bread smeared with some spicy sauce. But in addition to traditional pepper and mustard sauces, adjika, flame, khrenoder or khrenovina – all names of the hot sauce based on horseradish – are hugely popular. It is a sort of chili sauce in Russia.

Horseradish has long been used to add spice to meat dishes, and especially to wild game. Most often horseradish was added to some sweet base for the sauce, for example to a cranberry jelly. Such combinations perfectly emphasize the taste of the meat. But, besides meat, horseradish goes well with cucumbers, celery, beets and fresh cabbage. Horseradish is even used as a medicinal plant. Healing properties of horseradish are very beneficial for the fight against colds, because this plant is rich in vitamins C, B, phytoncides and essential oils.

Ingredients:

  • 2.2 lbs tomatoes

  • 1 oz garlic

  • 1 oz horseradish

  • parsley, dill

  • salt

  • 1-2 tsp sugar

  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

The quickest way to cook the sauce is to add all the vegetables, herbs and spices in a blender and grind to the consistency that seems right to you. A little trickier to cook the sauce if you have to grate or grind the horseradish because of the pungent smell. Then add salt, sugar and vinegar, other spices as desired. This horseradish sauce can be safely stored in the refrigerator for a month.

Remember that grated horseradish can turn brown. To prevent this, you can slightly sprinkle it with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. And to make it easier to grate, soak horseradish in cold water overnight or at least for a few hours.

Bon appetite!