beet·root horse·rad·ish dip

This is a very special recipe to me. Not because it is ground breakingly new, very clever or difficult. It is special because I feel like the mother of this dish. I had a hand in [almost] each component. Might sound silly, but all of you who have started on the continuum of gardening, stepped on the path of bread-making, entered into the world of bacterial fermentation, you will understand.

To put it another way, I quote Neil of the Young Ones :

"First we sow the seed, nature grows the seed and then we eat the seed."

He knows what I mean.

The ingredients are :

beetroot - grown in my small urban garden, harvested and put in the oven to roast within about 10 minutes.
horseradish - grown in my small urban garden, pulled out, peeled and grated within about an hour.
yoghurt - made the day before from the seed of a batch I have had for a long time.
salt - from the South Island, but I do not know when harvested.
pepper - indigenous to Java (not so far away), grown and harvested I do not know.

The dip was made like this :

beetroot and horseradish dip

beetroot
horseradish root
yoghurt
salt and pepper

Wash the beetroot, and trim the leaves making sure not to pierce the skin. Wrap loosely in foil and bake at 180°c for 45 minutes to an hour or until the beetroot is tender.
Leave until cool enough to handle then peel off the skins.
Put the beetroot through a mouli or blend.
Peel and grate horseradish to your taste - the fresher, the less you will need ; jarred may be substituted if necessary.
Stir in enough yoghurt to make the consistency required.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with crudités, create a canapé or spread on bread for wonderful hors d'oeuvre.