Fresh Beet Horseradish For Gefilte Fish Recipes

FRESH BEET HORSERADISH FOR GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Scrub beets and trim stems to 1/2 inch. Place beets in a medium saucepan and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high and cook at a gentle boil until beets are tender when pierced with a small, sharp knife, about 45 minutes. Remove heat, drain, and set beets aside until cook enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, grate horseradish on the medium-size holes of a box grater. Place horseradish in a small bowl and stir in vinegar, salt, and sugar.
• Peel beets and grate on the medium-size holes of the box grater. Add to horseradish mixture, stirring well to combine. Keep covered to preserve flavor and refrigerate until needed.

GEFILTE FISH WITH FRESH BEET HORSERADISH

Steps:

• Peel and coarsely chop 2 of the onions, and cut the fish into 3-inch pieces. Place half the fish and half the chopped onions in the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl down 2 to 3 times. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Repeat process with the remaining onions and fish, and add to the first batch. (If your fishmonger ground the fish, chop onions, process to a coarse puree, and stir into the fish.) To the fish and onions, add salt, sugar, and matzo meal, and mix well with a wooden spoon.
• Add eggs and water, and mix to combine. Refrigerate mixture until cold and firm, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, cut fish bones into 3-inch pieces, and place in a 6 1/2-quart stockpot. Cut remaining onion, 2 carrots, and celery in half, and place in stockpot. Add cloves, 2 dill sprigs, and 1 1/2 quarts water to barely cover bones and vegetables. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for about 35 minutes, skimming off the fat that rises to the surface as necessary.
• Remove broth from heat, and strain liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, pressing down on and then discarding solids. Rinse and dry stockpot, and return broth to pot. Set aside.
• Remove fish mixture from refrigerator. Wet hands with cold water, and form 2 heaping tablespoons of mixture into an oval shape. Place on a clean plate. Wet hands as necessary and continue until all of the mixture is used up, making 36 to 40 ovals.
• Return broth to heat, and bring to a simmer over medium low. Cut 2 carrots into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and add to the broth. Carefully add fish, cover, and simmer over very low heat until fish is firm and opaque at the center, 20 minutes.
• Remove fish from broth with a slotted spoon, and arrange in a single layer in Pyrex baking dishes. Strain broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth, discarding carrots. Pour strained broth over fish. Cover, and place in refrigerator overnight, allowing the stock to jell.
• Prepare an ice-water bath: Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Cut remaining carrots into 3-inch matchsticks. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, add salt and carrots, and cook until just tender, about 30 seconds. Transfer carrots to ice-water bath for 1 minute. Drain in a colander, transfer to a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve fish.
• Remove fish from refrigerator. To serve, arrange 2 pieces of fish and a spoonful of jellied broth on 1 large or 2 small radicchio leaves on each plate. Divide the carrot matchsticks among the plates, and garnish each with a sprig of dill. Pass horseradish on the side.

RED AND YELLOW BEET HORSERADISH (FOR THE GEFILTE FISH)

Steps:

• Place the whole, skin on, beets in a pot and cover amply with water. Cook 1 hour until very tender. Test with a knife-it should pull out easily. Allow an hour for the beets to cool in the cooking liquid. This will give them the right consistency for the sauce. Cut away the very top of the beet and remove the skins. Place them in a food processor and puree as fine as possible. Strain though a coarse strainer into a mixing bowl. If you are using prepared horseradish, squeeze as much of the juice out as possible. (1 1/2 cups will give you 1 cup after squeezing; there is no need to squeeze the fresh.) Mix the horseradish with the beets and add the lemon water and season with pepper and salt, if needed. Allow at least 1 day for the flavors to meld.;

GEFILTE FISH WITH BEET HORSERADISH

Steps:

• To make the dumplings, cut the fish into 1 1/2-inch chunks and place in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to freeze partially. Transfer to a food processor and process to as fine a puree as possible. Add the onion, egg, matzo meal, salt, and pepper and continue processing to a paste. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator until quite firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• To make the beet horseradish, cook the beet in water to cover until it can barely be pierced, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size. Drain and let cool until it can be handled, then peel it while still warm. Grate on the medium-fine holes of a box grater. In a small bowl, combine the grated beet, horseradish, vinegar, sugar, and salt and stir to mix. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
• To make the broth, combine the fish bones and heads, carrot, celery, shallot, salt, and water in a medium saucepan, adding more water if needed to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer, cover partially, and cook until slightly reduced, about 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
• To cook the dumplings, with wet hands, form the fish mixture into ovals the size of a very large egg, using about 1/3 cup for each dumpling. Drop them into the broth and bring just to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer, adding more water if necessary to keep the dumplings afloat, until cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the dumplings and broth to a serving bowl, let cool until no longer steaming, and refrigerate until the broth sets into a loose gelée, 3 hours or so.
• Serve the gefilte fish and gelée cold with the beet horseradish on the side.

SALMON GEFILTE FISH MOLD WITH HORSERADISH AND BEET SAUCE

Steps:

• Have your fish store grind the fillets or pulse them yourself, one at a time, in a food processor or meat grinder. If using a food processor, pulse the fish in short bursts, being careful not to purée the fish-you want some texture. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and fill a larger pan (such as a large Pyrex dish) with 2 inches of hot water.
• In a large pan over medium-high heat, sauté the diced onions in the oil for about 5 minutes, until soft and transparent but not brown. Set aside to cool.
• Put the fish, onions, eggs, 2 cups (470 ml) water, matzo meal, carrots, 4 tablespoons dill, salt, pepper, mustard, and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer equipped with a flat beater. Beat at medium speed for 10 minutes.
• Pour the mixture into the Bundt or tube pan, then put the pan inside the larger water-filled dish (called a bain-marie). Smooth the top with a spatula. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the center is solid. Remove the Bundt or tube pan from the water dish, then allow the terrine to cool slightly for at least 20 minutes. Slide a long knife around the outer and inner edges of the Bundt or tube pan, then carefully invert the terrine onto a flat serving plate.
• Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. If any water accumulates on the serving dish, carefully drain it away before serving. Slice the terrine as you would a torte and serve as an appetizer, garnished with parsley and dill and served with Horseradish and Beet Sauce. Leftovers keep for up to 5 days.