Spring arrives and it is time to set aside the hot soups and braises of winter, and add a little more cool brightness to the plate. Pickles! Sour, spiced, crunchy flavors to wake up the taste buds. Yes, please!
Beets BEG to be pickled. The sweet/sour flavors of pickling liquid can enhance the sweetness and earthiness of the beet, while toning down the famously dreaded flavor of “dirt”. You can cook them until they are tender and juicy or leave them with a nice crunchy bite. I love the tender-crisp crunch on something like a taco. You can throw them onto any plate of food that just needs that little extra something to liven up the plate. And the color! Beets come in the most gorgeous colors.
A very simple and mild Quick Pickle
Boil or steam your beets whole, with only the top and bottom sliced off. Keeping the peel on allows you to retain all the color, flavor and nutrition, without losing so much of it in the cooking water. Cutting off the tops makes it easier to peel later.
When the beets are to your liking… I like to keep them crunchy for both texture and nutrition retention… remove them from the cooking water or steamer and set them aside to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, slice away the peel and discard it.
Of course, beets will stain everything! …which is why it makes a beautiful natural food coloring. But if you don’t want to be caught red-handed, where gloves.
Dice, slice, or julienne your beats any way you like. Today, I am dicing.
Thinly slice onions and prepare your pickling liquid by combining vinegar, sweetener, cinnamon and pepper into a bowl. Feel free to add any other flavors you like! Add diced peppers for some heat, or herbs and spices that you enjoy with beets.
In a small saucepan, heat your onions and pickling liquid just a few minutes to let the flavors marry, slightly wilt the onions, and slightly cook the beets when they are combined.
Pour the hot pickling liquid and onions over your diced, sliced or julienne beets. Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes. Stir to distribute liquid. Your beets will be mildly flavored at this point and you can eat them right away. Or… cover and refrigerate them to allow those flavors to develop more.
You can leave the cinnamon stick in the jar in the fridge, if you like.
Enjoy!!!
Simple Quick Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 1-2 red beets (equal about 1 cup when diced)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
- 6 T red wine vinegar
- 1/2 stick cinnamon
- 1/2 – 1 t raw honey (or another sweetener, to taste)
- black pepper, to taste
Method
Boil or steam your beets whole, with only the top and bottom sliced off. Keeping the peel on allows you to retain all the color, flavor and nutrition, without losing so much of it in the cooking water. Cutting off the tops makes it easier to peel later. Check your beets after about 10 minutes, by sticking a fork in them, and determine whether or not they are cooked enough for you.
When the beets are to your liking… I like to keep them crunchy for both texture and nutrition retention… remove them from the cooking water or steamer and set them aside to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, slice away the peel and discard it.
Dice, slice, or julienne your beats any way you like.
Thinly slice onions and prepare your pickling liquid by combining vinegar, sweetener, cinnamon and pepper into a bowl. Feel free to add any other flavors you like! Add diced peppers for some heat, or herbs and spices that you enjoy with beets.
In a small saucepan, heat your onions and pickling liquid just a few minutes to let the flavors marry, slightly wilt the onions, and slightly cook the beets when they are combined.
Pour the hot pickling liquid and onions over your diced, sliced or julienne beets. Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes. Stir to distribute liquid. Your beets will be mildly flavored at this point and you can eat them right away. Or… cover and refrigerate them to allow those flavors to develop more.
Enjoy
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