[Sca-cooks] Horseradish Sauces

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Stefan asked about the two horseradish sauces i've made. They are the 
Spanish Horseradish-Honey Sauce, from de Nola, in Libro de Guisados, 
1529, and German Horseradish sauce from Das Kochbuch Meister 
Eberhards, mid-15th c. The recipes are below.

Anahita

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I made this one for my first feast, The Boar Hunt 2000, and served it 
with roast pork:

Horseradish-Honey Sauce
Spanish, de Nola, Libro de Guisados, 1529
Translated from the original by Lady Brighid ni Chiarain

Perejil
(parsley)
You must take the parsley and remove the roots, and strip off the 
leaves very well and clean it, and grind those leaves a great deal in 
a mortar, and after it is well-ground, toast a crustless piece of 
bread, and soak it in white vinegar, and grind it with the parsley, 
and after it is well-ground cast a little pepper into the mortar, and 
mix it well with the parsley and the bread, and then cast in honey, 
which should be melted, in the mortar, stirring constantly in one 
direction until the honey incorporates itself with the sauce in the 
mortar, and if the sauce should be very thick, clarify it with a 
little watered vinegar, so that it should not be very sour, and 
having done that take two smooth pebbles from the sea or river, and 
cast them in the fire, and when they shall be quite ruddy and red, 
cast them with some tongs in the mortar in such a manner that they 
are extinguished there, and when all this is done taste it for 
flavor, and make it in such a manner that it tastes a little of 
pepper, and a little sweet-sour, and of parsley, and if any of these 
things is lacking, temper [the dish] with it.

Salsa de Rabano Vexisco y de Gallocresta
(sauce of horseradish and of clary sage)
In the same manner as the parsley, you can also make sauce from the 
root of the horseradish and the same from the leaves of clary sage.

Recipe based on redaction by Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Makes over 1 quart of sauce

1 lb. fresh horseradish root, finely grated
4 slices Italian bread, toasted lightly
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 cups honey
1 cup water
2 tsp black pepper

1. Wash and peel the horseradish root. Chop very coarsely.
2. Toast bread - can be done on grill - or if there's a toaster, use it.
3. Grate horseradish finely. I'm not sure if we used the blender or 
the Cuisinart. Whichever, you will probably want to grind it twice to 
get it fine.
4. Soak the toasted bread in the vinegar.
5. Place horseradish in the container of a blender or food processor.
6. Add the toasted bread, crumbling as necessary.
7. Blend a moment until just barely mixed, not pasty.
8. Add the remaining ingredients, adjusting as necessary for taste - 
and Watch Out! as the horseradish is STRONG!
9. Add just enough water to make a smooth sauce that is not too thin
10. Just before serving, heat the sauce on low heat until warm. Do not boil.

WARNING: Don't lean over the blender, the bowl, or the pan without 
acknowledging that there will be rising horseradish fumes.

I think some folks thought they were having some sort of transcendent 
experience when they ate this. It was quite strong but quite good and 
excellent company for the pork. This would also be good with any red 
meat. It would be milder if made a day or two before the feast.

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I made this one for my third feast, The Boar Hunt 2001:

Horseradish sauce
Das Kochbuch Meister Eberhards, mid-15th c.
Translated by Alia Atlas

2. A good sauce to make in the Fast.
Item. Take horseradish and pound it in a mortar and take almond 
kernels or nuts and pound them also and pour a wine there in. 
Horseradish brings the stone very much, when one eats it in the food.

5 cups ground horseradish root
2-1/2 cups ground almonds
4 cups dry white wine
1 TB salt
1/4 cup sugar

1. Grind horseradish.
2. Add almonds and wine.
3. Let stand overnight.
4. Season with salt and sugar, to taste.

NOTE: I made this a couple days before the feast. This gave the sauce 
a chance to mellow a bit, so it wouldn't be as harsh as what i made 
last year. It had a nice creamy flavor. I thought it was delicious.

NOTE: Making this was rather, uh, eye-opening. I used a large fresh 
whole horseradish root. I borrowed a Vita-Mix from my house mates. 
Washed and peeled and rinsed the root and cut it in large chunks. 
Then i dropped them in the Vita-Mix and in seconds it was very finely 
grated. Then i added the wine. I also had to open all the doors and 
windows in the kitchen and the back of the house because of the 
really intense fumes (and it was winter and very cold). A blender or 
a food processor couldn't do this job - i used a food processor to 
make the de Nola horseradish last year and it was no where near as 
finely processed. But then, a blender or food processor won't release 
as many fumes, either.

NOTE: Salt seems to be left out of the list of ingredients in a 
number of German recipes - salt won't be mentioned until the last 
sentence, which will say "And don't over-salt it". So cooks might 
well have added salt to this recipe. I added the sugar to balance the 
flavors. I've estimated the amount of sugar i used as I added it by 
taste. I didn't add it because i like sweet sauce, because I don't 
like sweet things much. Naturally, you can leave it out.