ĆWIKŁA: POLISH SHREDDED BEET HORSERADISH

Ćwikła is a Polish-style hot relish made of shredded beetroots. Literature often calls it a salad, but it’s more of a condiment. 

Thanks to biting, pleasantly tingling horseradish, Ćwikła goes straight up the nose. It brightens up any dish – especially meats. It works for almost every occasion: Easter breakfast, weeknight meal, Sunday roast, a summery BBQ with grilled kiełbasa…

This recipe makes one 16 oz (450 ml)  jar of Ćwikła.

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large beetroot (roughly 12.5 oz, 350 g)
• 2 tbsp grated horseradish root; substitute with 2-3 tbsp grated horseradish from a jar
• 1 tsp fine sugar
• salt and pepper, to season
• 2 tbp lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the beetroot thoroughly, but don’t peel it. 
2. Fill a cooking pot with water, bring to boil and drop the beetroot in. I usually cook a whole pot of beetroots at the same time (to make a few jars of Ćwikła or something else). Cook for 1 hour until beetroot is tender, but still holds its shape.
3. Once cooked, leave the beetroot to chill. You can peel it now, it should be easy to remove the peel at this point. It’s worth putting on disposable gloves at this point, beetroots can stain your hands quite a bit.
4. Time to grate the beetroot. You can use a food processor, or just a regular box grater. Shred half using the smallest holes, and another half using the larger ones. This way the texture is more verified and interesting.
5. If you’re using fresh horseradish, peel it and grate using the finest holes. [Do it outdoors if you can, it tends to be strong]. 
6. Add two spoonfuls of grated horseradish (either freshly grated or from a jar) to our shredded beetroot. Add a teaspoon of sugar and combine together with a spoon.
7. Season with a solid pinch of salt and a solid pinch of ground black pepper. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Combine again with a spoon.
8. Have a taste. If the flavour is too acidic for your liking, you can add a little bit more sugar or add a little bit of grated apple.
9. Move Ćwikła to a jar and close with a lid. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
10. Serve with meats, sandwiches, boiled eggs.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:

YIELD:

 20 

SERVING SIZE:

 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 5Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 42mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g