If you’ve ever grown horseradish you may be aware of its tendency to spread rapidly resulting in an abundance of leaves that are often overshadowed by the root. Before disregarding those leaves consider their potential. They can be an addition, to salads when consumed raw and can withstand cooking methods opening up a range of options.
One delightful way to enjoy these leaves is, in a dish of creamed greens, where their strong flavor perfectly complements the bacon infused sauce. This dish pairs wonderfully with meats a succulent steak or smoky brisket (or smoked beef heart right here)
Ingredients:
- About 1 pound of horseradish leaves, with the tough stems removed, leaves chopped into quarter-inch slices
- 4 ounces of beef bacon, sliced into quarter-inch pieces
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped finely
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat or olive oil
This recipe serves 4 as a side dish.
Preparing The Meal
Begin by warming the cream in a pot, over heat until it reaches a boil and continue boiling until it reduces to 3/4 cup. Optionally incorporate the pepper flakes along, with nutmeg, a teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of pepper. Next reduce the heat to medium. Allow it to simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
As you cook put the bacon strips in a pan, over heat. Stir the bacon gently every now and then. Let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes. As it cooks you’ll see most of the fat melting out of the bacon. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning. Once the bacon is cooked to your liking take it out of the pan using a spoon to drain off fat and set it aside. Turn up the heat to medium high.
Add onions with a pinch of salt to the pan stirring for 2 minutes. Then reduce the heat back to medium. Gradually add greens making sure each batch wilts before adding more seasoning with salt as needed. When all greens are in cover the pan. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or, until tender stirring occasionally. To finish the dish add the bacon back, to the pan with the cream. Stir everything together until well mixed and evenly spread in the dish. It’s ideal to serve the greens warm with your choice of meat.
I spent a good bit of my 20’s touring the country playing music. As a teenager, and throughout my 20’s, in between music, I always worked in restaurants, in various capacities. Somewhere in my late 20’s I realized that I was not on the cover of Rolling Stone, as planned, and so, I started thinking about my future and trying to figure out other ways to have an impact, be creative and still live a bit of that rock ‘n roll lifestyle. The restaurant industry provided me with a good bit of those things. And so, I started honing my chops in the kitchen, putting my nose in food lover’s companion, and really started to go somewhere with it.