As a vegetarian I don’t have a lot of options when it comes to building up a rich sandwich. Definitely not in France, as the French aren’t too fond of sandwiches, nor vegetarians. And then I also happen to love horseradish as a spread on a piece of bread. Another thing the French don’t like. This I find really strange, as the taste of a horseradish dip reminds me much of moutarde, a thing they love. Anyway, horseradish is too sharp apparently and that they don’t like. And what they don’t like (or know), they don’t sell.

I’ve accepted that. It’s the faith of the migrant [everywhere], that likes to taste some of the past. I have that with many things, and horseradish pumpkin seeds spread is just one of them. It’s not a typical Dutch spread in this case, but for me it’s connected to the Netherlands, as I ate it there. Spread over a piece of bread, with a few slices of dutch cheese and some tomatoes or cucumber. Yum.

As I longed for it much and often, I decided three years ago that I would grow my own horseradish and try to make my own spread. The horseradish-starts that were send to me at that time, are now growing happily in my new garden. I haven’t harvested them just yet. I wanted to give them some time to fully develop, before I would harvest them. And when I do that, I will make my own basic horseradish spread and share my recipe with you.

I was lucky enough though, to find basic horseradish spread in Germany this summer. With Eduards approval I filled up the car with lots of small jars from different brands and envisioned making my own favourite spread when we returned home. Today I want to share this recipe with you as it turned out yummy. Maybe better than the original version.


Before I do that, let me first explain why I made this spread instead of just using the plain horseradish spread and building on that. You see, horseradish, just like ginger, has a very specific effect on me if I eat/drink them in too high concentrations. They cause a certain kind of nausea when I consume them (raw-ish). I’m not sure why that is, but I’ve learned to lower the concentration to enjoy their taste without unwanted side effects. I don’t know if others have the same problem? Who knows, maybe it’s that what the French don’t like.
Anyway, in the case of horseradish, it’s a good idea to mix it up with pumpkin seeds and a bit of sunflower oil to create a perfect, tasty and healthy spread. And that’s exactly what I do now when I want to enjoy the specific character of horseradish!

Recipe horseradish pumpkin seeds spread

Ingredients

  • 135gr horseradish spread
  • 2 cups of plain (unshelled) pumpkin seeds (replace by hemp seeds)
  • 2 tbsp of sunflower oil
  • pinch of salt

Method

Place the pumpkin seeds in a blender (or a better kitchen machine) and grind them as far as you can. Then add the spread and sunflower oil. Blend them again as far as you can or until you like the consistency. Now add – if needed – salt to taste. You are ready to dig in.


Use and conserve

Use this spread on a loaf of bread or in a salad dressing. And place the spread in a closed jar in your fridge to keep for a week or two. Enjoy!