I wish I had a pound for every jar of pickled beetroot (beets) that I put up when my family was growing up. I'd be a very rich woman. I used to put up tons of fruits and vegetables every year . . . jams and jellies, pickles and relishes . . . chutneys and fruit butters. Dill pickles were always a favorite along with green tomato chow . . . but I don't mind admitting my favorite of it all were the pickled beetroot. I LOVE PICKLED BEETROOT!
Of course with there just being two of us in the house now, its just not practical these days to do all that preserving, but I do get a hankering from time to time for some home pickled beetroot. Oh, I know I can buy it in the shops . . . but it's just not the same.
I love, LOVE this recipe because you end up with just one jar of lovely pickled beets . . . and you start off by roasting them. Did you know that roasting beetroot enhances this lovely vegetables natural sweetness? It does . . . I love roasted beetroot.
The brine for these is a simple one . . . red wine vinegar, sugar and water flavoured with salt, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, star anise and a goodly pinch of crushed red chillies . . . depending on how much fire you want in your ice. I prefer less, but if you like spicy things you can certainly add more.
Beautiful on their own with grilled meats and fish . . . or in sandwiches, or (my personal favourite) in lovely salads with goats cheese and plenty of salad greens! Mmmmm . . . so good. I just adore these.
*Fire and Ice Roasted Pickled Beetroot*Makes one pint jarPrintable Recipe
These are a delicious mix of sweet, sour and hot. You can control the heat by the amount of chili flakes you add. These need to pickle in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days before using.
6 medium beetroot225ml of good quality red wine vinegar120g of golden caster sugar1 1/2 tsp coarse salt225ml of water6 to 8 whole cloves5 whole peppercorns2 pieces of star anise1 cinnamon stick broken in half1 nice pinch of chili flakes (according to your taste)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Take two large pieces of aluminum foil. Place them crosswise to each other. Place the beetroots in the center and bring up the edges around to enclose the beetroots. Squeeze tightly shut. Place them into the preheated oven and roast them for 50 to 60 minutes until tender. Remove from the oven, unwrap and allow to cool until you can handle them comfortably. Peel them and cut into wedges.
Place the beetroot wedges, cloves, star anise and cinnamon stick into a clean lidded one pint jar with a lid. Measure the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and chili flakes into a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Pour over the beetroots in the jar. Screw on the lid. Allow to come to room temperature and then refrigerate for 3 to 5 days before using. Delicious.
