Help Me Substitute Horseradish in my Soup! (please)

[Kahlico]

I want to make a Cold Beet and Cucumber Soup this weekend but I don't like horseradish. Here is the recipe, can anyone suggest a substitute for horseradish or should I leave it out all together?

thanks!


Cold Beet and Cucumber Soup



Recipe courtesy Julia Child

4 medium beets, trimmed
3 to 4 scallions, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh horseradish
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 cup beet juice
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Garnish:
1 cup sour cream
Handful fresh dill sprigs

Cook beets in large pot of boiling water until very tender and knife pierces
through to the center easily, about 50 minutes. Drain beets; cool slightly.
Peel and coarsely chop.

Transfer beets, scallions, cucumbers, horseradish, and wine vinegar to food
processor. Add some of the liquids to blend. Puree, but not too fine. Thin to
desired consistency with beet juice and broth. Transfer to bowl, season, and
chill several hours. Check seasoning before serving. Pour into individual
bowls and garnish with spoonful of sour cream and sprinkling of dill. Can be
made up to 3 days in advance, covered, chilled.


Yield: 6 cups

[yorkshirepud]

Kahlico,

See this from Foodsubs.com

horseradish = chrain = horseradish relish = horseradish sauce = prepared horseradish Notes: This is a pungent condiment that usually accompanies meats and fish. It loses much of its bite after a few months in the refrigerator. Varieties of horseradish sauce include creamed horseradish = cream-style horseradish, which is made with mayonnaise and/or sour cream, red horseradish, which is made with beet juice, and white horseradish, which is made with vinegar.

To make your own: When exposed to air, the flesh of the horseradish root begins a enzymatic reaction that causes it to become first more pungent (this takes a few minutes), and then much less pungent (this takes about half an hour). Adding a sour liquid stops the reaction and locks in the heat for several months. To make horseradish sauce, peel a horseradish root and chop it into small pieces. Grind it in a blender, adding enough water or ice cubes to enable the blade to turn freely. For each cup of grated horseradish, add 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and blend thoroughly. Adding the vinegar immediately after grating will yield a mild horseradish. If you add the vinegar after a few minutes when the pungency peaks, the sauce will be hotter. WARNING: Fresh horseradish is surprisingly potent, so make sure your kitchen is very well ventilated, wear rubber gloves, and don't rub your eyes. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Substitutes: wasabi


I think you might be safe to leave it out, if not, throw in wasabi (yum) or perhaps some mustard to give it a little kick.

YP