Horseradish Soup


“Pepparrot oppa,” my host Östen explained, pointing to the delicious lemony, cream soup. He tried to explain- it grows in the ground, like a potato but not a turnip. Finally I got up and handed over the Swedish-English dictionary and they looked it up. Horseradish soup!

I looked through my mom’s many, many recipe books but couldn’t find a good one, so I tried to recreate the taste. This is a pretty rich recipe, so I’m interested in exploring less intense ingredients. I’m happy though that this rivals the original.

Makes about 4 servings

Shred 2 cups of fresh horseradish. Don’t buy the canned stuff, it’s really a completely different taste.
Mince 5 shallots
2 cans of chicken broth
1 cup of 1/2 and 1/2
7 or so brown mushrooms
1 large potato, cubed
1 cup of white wine
2 T butter
salt
pepper
lemon (slices)

Saute butter, horseradish, shallots and mushrooms until the butter is absorbed, add the wine and saute. Bring stock and cream to a boil, add sauteed ingredients and potato, season. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes, until potato is tender. Mash potato in the soup (or food process if you want). Let simmer so flavors meld.
Serve with lemon slice on top or gently squeezed on top. Rye bread and butter are great, alongside.