[cheshirecheese]

I was just reading a thread about vacuum sealing on here, in which Goldfinger mentions that:

'We pickled some beet last year, and it was a disaster! So this year we thought we'd try the vacuum pack route...'

I therefore thought I'd pass on this recipe for pickled beet, which I've adapted from Delia.

Start off with about a pound of beetroot.  Trim off the leaves, but leave about half an inch of stem so you don't pierce the skin - the colour leaches out otherwise.  Wipe them clean (or scrub if necessary) but leave the skins on.  Wrap them altogether in a single piece of foil, and bake for about three hours or until they feel tender when pierced with a skewer.

As soon as they're done and cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and slice the beetroot to your preferred thickness.  You can then layer in sterilised jars with either shallots (as Delia does) or with sliced mooli and a little thinly sliced red onion (my version).  As the mooli is raw, it's crunchy and gives a nice contrast to the softer beetroot.

I then cover with my spiced vinegar, which I make with red wine vinegar heated gently with a cinnamon stick, allspice berries, juniper berries, peppercorns and cloves with a little salt.  If you like a sweeter vinegar, just add a little sugar.  Store in a cool, dark place for up to six months - it's best left for a couple of weeks for the flavours to develop.


Edit title to clarify subject

[chrissie B]

never pickled beets before because i dont like them hubby does but i love roasted beetroot just on its own skin and all yum
chrissie b

[Trillium]

I've pickled beets before in bottling jars and sealed them while hot, then 15 minutes in the water bath. They kept very well and were tasty, but I'm not a huge fan of pickled beets. My mother does a seasoned grated beet that she bottles successfully and it's not pickled so I hope to try some this year.

My beets in storage tend to shrivel quickly so this year I decided I would pressure bottle them. You can't water bath them without pickling since they're too low acid, so pressure cooking them is the safest way. It's also a faster meal when in a hurry - just open the jar and heat up. No waste.

[compostqueen]

I do Delia's roast pickled beets like this, with the slivers of shallot added. Lovely they are too    The recipe is on here

[lassie]

I have just picked the last of our beetroots and pickled them. This is my very first time doing this so I cannot wait until the end of January to try them. I am sooo excited