Manna dal Cielo

Since we don't have a TV in our bedroom, one of my favorite things about staying in a hotel is waking up and turning on the TV first thing!!
This past weekend, while staying in Glenwood Springs, I woke up before my Mr. and turned on the tube to surf channels. I landed on Lidia's Italy on PBS. I don't usually enjoy her show, but I noticed that she had her ancient grandmother on the show, so naturally...I HAD to watch it. Besides, I noticed that the dish she was cooking didn't involve any of the following omnipresent Italian ingredients: tomatoes, pasta, or cured meat. That had me rather intrigued, I must say!
First, I saw potato pancake thingys. They looked pretty good, and I made mental note that I must try making some (I've made them before, but it's been a mighty long time!). Then, in her other pot, she had about 5,347 apples cooking in their own juices, with a touch of lemon juice. Yummmmmmmmmy. Potato pancakes with apples! And finally, in her third pan, she had beef rolls. They looked like taquitos without the shell. Hmmm, I wouldn't pair potato pancakes and apples with a beef roll thingy, but why not?????

I'll tell you why!!
Lidia picked up her naked taquito and showed the camera the rolled-up end. Then she described what was inside:
Celery. ok, fine, but I'd rather have plain celery or plain beef.
carrots. alright. ditto the above sentence, though. Still, I'm willing to be brave.
pickles. PICKLES!!! Alright, everyone knows how I adore pickles, but wrapped up in a ground beef roll with celery and carrots??
I guess I'll just be making the potato pancakes with apples!

But WAIT!!!!
Lidia's grannie suddenly comes into the camera view, looking altogether too excited about something. grandmotherly excitement!!! Lidia explains that Grandma only comes when there's something she LOVES, so she can taste it and lick the spoon. And guess what Grandma loves????? Guess??? Horseradish!!

Icky! I hate horseradish! Still, naturally this horseradish is going to go on the beef rolls, so it won't impact me. I keep watching. Lidia pulls out a HUGE horseradish root and proclaims that Grandma grew it in her own giardino. Grandma looks a little too pleased with herself, if you ask me! Then Grandma sniffs the horseradish root and her eyes roll back in her head.
Lidia show us how to peel and clean horseradish, while Grandma sniffs the knife and anything else that came in contact with the root. Then, faster than you can say "pickle-stuffed beef rolls," Lidia grabs a pan and begins grating the horseradish root over the dish. The apple dish. the APPLE dish. APPLES! APPLES AND HORSERADISH!!!!!

Then she adds a dash of cream and she and Grandma look like they've died and gone to heaven!!

If that's what Italian heaven is like....well, I think I need to go to Austrian heaven where the streets are made of Wienerschnitzel and Bratwurst, not gold.