RECIPE: Tsvikli Beetroot Horseradish Relish

It is well known that beetroot is a popular ingredient in Ukrainian cuisine. After all, the quintessential beetroot soup, borscht, is thought to have originated in Ukraine, although it is hugely popular throughout Eastern Europe. But the humble beetroot is a lot more versatile than you might think. Its sweet, earthy flavour can be used in a variety of ways. One of these is tsvikli, a beetroot horseradish relish that is as easy to make as it is delicious.

Although beetroot is the star of this dish, it is enhanced by the addition of fiery horseradish, a root vegetable that grows in such prolific quantities in the UK it is actually considered to be a weed.

If you grow your own vegetables, they are both root veg so need a really good scrub with a stiff brush to clean them up.

You can buy horseradish root in the shops but we grow it in our garden. If you can’t get fresh horseradish, many shops sell jars of grated horseradish and this will work fine.

Horseradish root will keep in the fridge for a few days but if you want to store if for a longer period we recommend grating it and then freezing it in ice-cube trays. Fresh horseradish is very powerful but when frozen it loses a bit of its pungency, so we suggest doubling the quantity of horseradish in this dish if you are using frozen. Of course, your tolerance of horseradish heat may not be the same as ours so we recommend checking how hot you like your tsvikili and adjust the portion accordingly. This recipe is pretty fiery.

Depending on how much preparation time you have, you can use fresh beetroot that you will need to cook yourself, but the dish works really well with precooked beetroot. We don’t recommend buying pickled beetroot but if that is all you can get, reduce the vinegar levels in the relish.

How To Make Tsvikli Beetroot Horseradish Relish

This will spread across 4 slices of bread, so it will serve 4 people or 2 greedy people. Alternatively you could use it as a dip or a relish to accompany a variety of dishes.

Ingredients

4 medium or 3 large beetroot

Thumb-sized piece of fresh horseradish (or 4 tbs grated frozen horseradish)

2 tbs cider vinegar

2 tsp sugar

Good pinch of sea salt

(If you are using grated horseradish from a jar it may contain vinegar, so you may need to adjust the vinegar quantity to your taste.)

Beetroot Horseradish Relish Method

If you are using raw beetroot you will need to cook it. Peel the beets and roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until soft (it will depend on the size of the beetroot). Or you could boil the beetroot for 25-40 minutes (again, the time will depend on the size of the beet). Allow the beetroot to cool. We find that pre-cooked beetroot works really well in this recipe and saves loads of time.

Grate the beetroot on finest grater setting and squeeze out excess water.

Grate the horseradish on the finest setting. You might want to wear PPE for this as fresh horseradish is really pungent – sometimes it’ll make your eyes water!

Combine with the grated beetroot.

Stir in other ingredients. At this stage have a taste. You might have a sweeter tooth, in which case add a bit more sugar. Or, if you prefer sour flavours, add a drop more vinegar. We recommend using sea salt as a seasoning and, again, add to your taste.

Allow to stand for a few hours to let the flavours infuse.

Serve on toasted sourdough.