Horseradish appetizer for winter

Spicy, with a sharp, piquant taste, horseradish appetizer for winter not only serves as an excellent seasoning for meat and fish but also helps fight viruses during the cold season; moreover, it can be a great base for other sauces.

The appetizer necessarily includes horseradish root and garlic. The base is a thick tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes, which slightly softens the sharpness and bitterness of the other ingredients. One should not overdo it with the base so that the horseradish appetizer does not lose its pungent qualities too much, as it should remain sufficiently spicy. Well, stone salt is used here as a preservative and flavor stabilizer.

Yield: 1 half-liter jar.

Preparation time: 30 minutes.

Caloric content: 271 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Ingredients

• tomatoes – 650 g;
• horseradish root – 100 g;
• garlic – 75 g;
• coarse salt – 0.75 tbsp without a heap.

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients for making the horseradish appetizer for winter. It is better to use meaty tomatoes so that the appetizer is not too watery. For lovers of very spicy dishes, it is recommended to add 0.5 teaspoon of ground hot pepper or grind some fresh chili pepper together with the tomatoes. Glass jars should be sterilized in advance, and the lids (metal or plastic) should be scalded with boiling water.

2. Cut the tomatoes into large pieces, removing the stem. Then grind them in a blender or on a regular meat grinder into a puree-like mass.

3. Horseradish contains volatile pungent oils that irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes when working with it. Therefore, to minimize this property, one should act sequentially – first, the root should be cleaned, and then cut into medium-sized pieces.

4. Next, put a food bag on the meat grinder and tie it with a rubber band near the grid. Grind the pieces of horseradish – they will immediately go into the bag, and the essential oils will be hardly noticeable.

5. Then carefully remove the bag from the meat grinder and tie it in a knot for now. Squeeze the garlic through a garlic press.

6. Pour the tomato into a mixing container (preferably made of stainless steel or glass).

7. Add salt to it while the tomato is still clean and without sharp additions.

8. Stir and let it sit for about 20 minutes for the salt to dissolve so that you can taste it (the taste should be slightly saltier than in regular cooking). Once horseradish and garlic are added, it will no longer be possible to taste for salt – their spiciness will overpower all taste receptors.

9. Now you can add the garlic.

10. And the horseradish.

11. Mix everything well.

12. Distribute the finished seasoning into jars, which should be closed with plastic or metal lids.

The horseradish appetizer should be stored exclusively in the refrigerator. This is both a drawback and a positive aspect since all the ingredients are fresh, unboiled, and without added vinegar. However, on the shelf of the refrigerator, the appetizer will last until the next summer – the lid won’t bulge, and the top won’t get moldy. Over time, only the strength and sharpness of the appetizer will decrease, and it will become milder.