Essentially prepared homemade horseradish and powerful stuff. If you want to make it in quantity, that’s fine, but wear goggles (seriously). Even with small amounts, keep your hands away from your eyes until you have washed them well.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1/2 cup

　　One 4- to 6-inch piece fresh horseradish

　　2 tablespoons white or wine vinegar, or to taste

　　Salt to taste

　　

Step 1

Peel and, using a hand grater or the fine grating disk on a food processor, finely grate the horseradish. (The food processor is easy, but there will be a lot of waste, so start with the larger amount, at least a 6-inch piece. Also, avert your eyes when you first turn on the machine.)

　　

Step 2

Combine the grated horseradish with the vinegar and some salt. If the mixture is thick but sharp enough, thin with a bit of water. Serve immediately or store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Horseradish loses potency over time, but this will stay pretty strong for days if not weeks.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.