I guess New Yorkers don’t cook with horseradish very often. When I remembered that this linkup was coming up, I searched high and low for some fresh horseradish root. At my sixth (6th!!!) supermarket stop, I finally found some (It was at Citerella, in case you’re wondering. Whole Foods, Fairway, A Matter of Health, Agata and Valentina, and Gristedes did not have any).
Horseradish is a Passover ingredient. We eat maror, the “bitter herb” to remind ourselves of the affliction we suffered as slaves in Egypt. But actually, we Syrians do not use horseradish as our maror. We use romaine lettuce; I know, I’m as confused as you are. Anyway, this linkup is about horseradish, not Pesach! So I put some horseradish in spaghetti to remind myself that we can eat traditional ingredients year-round. After all, I think it’s kinda healthy.
Oh, and you might want to use the good old Gold’s horseradish instead of running around to every supermarket within walking distance to find the fresh stuff to make your own. That stuff is hot!! I had to remember not to breathe in when I took the cover off of the food processor the scrape the sides down. My eyes started burning anyway. And my throat, too. And then I started coughing, so I had to breathe. Which made me cough more. OUCH. So it clears your sinuses…
Spaghetti with Roasted Vegetables and Horseradish-Thyme Butter
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
- 1 bunch radishes, quartered
- 1 large turnip, cubed
- 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 sweet onion, cut into wedges
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for roasting the veggies
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish*
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese for garnish
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 425. Spread the vegetables evenly over one or two baking sheets, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast for about 4o minutes, mixing occasionally, until everything is soft and browned.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before straining, and return to the pot.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and mix it with the olive oil, horseradish, and vinegars. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix the vegetables and the butter with the pasta, turn the heat to high and add 1/3 cup of the pasta water, mixing to distribute the sauce evenly over the spaghetti and vegetables.
- Toss with cheese and serve warm.
* To make my own horseradish, I placed one 8-inch piece of peeled, chopped horseradish root in a food processor with splash of water, a tablespoon of white vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
