SWEET AND SOUR PICKLED BEETROOT
Move aside supermarket version, here is a quick homemade sweet & sour pickled beetroot recipe that will allow you to have this delicious accompaniment in your fridge at all times. Perfect in sandwiches, salads or just on its own as a snack.
October is still beetroot season and you may find yourself with a glutton of these gorgeously deep red vegetables in your garden. Or you may be lucky, as I was, to have been handed large amounts by friends from their vegetable gardens, as they did not know what to do with the abundance of this earthy and naturally sweet root vegetable.
Beetroot has many reported health benefits, such as improved digestion, blood sugar levels, physical performance and cardiac health.
Admittedly pickling can lead to a small loss of nutrients, however pickled beetroot still remain a rich source of vitamins and minerals.
Spinach, pickled beetroot, pear, Violife Block, walnuts and a drizzle of balsamic glaze
You can eat sweet & sour pickled beetroot on their own as a snack, or add them to salads or sandwiches. A particularly nice dish at this time of the year is a salad with green leaves, fresh pear, walnuts, pickled beetroot, plant based feta type cheese and a drizzle of balsamic glaze (or honey, depending on preference).
Sweet & Sour Pickled Beetroot
Ingredients
- 8 medium beetroot
- water
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tbsp cloves
- 1/2 tbsp all spice berries
Instructions
- Wash and trim the beetroot to about 1cm of the stem.
- Place in a pot and cover with water.
- Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes.
- In a small pot, add the vinegar, water and sugar. Turn up the heat to medium and leave the sugar to dissolve. Stir, then set aside.
- Drain the water from the beetroot, leave to cool for a minute. Remove the skin by rubbing the whole beets in your hand (tip: wear reusable gloves as this is messy!)
- Slice the beets into medium sized slices.
- Place the slices into the jar. Add spices, then fill up with the vinegar sugar liquid. Ensure that the beets are fully covered. Close the jar and place in the fridge. The beets will stay fresh for up to month.
- If you have any vinegar sugar water left over, you can pickle some cucumber, red onions or radishes this way too.
Notes:
Vinegar: All vinegars except balsamic or malt can be used here.