pickled beets with caraway

pickled beets recipe

Makes about a pint jar of beets

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 large beets

• 1 cup vinegar: white wine, apple cider, rice, or other light and non-sweet vinegar

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sea salt (if using kosher salt bump up the amount slightly)

• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

• 1/4 teaspoon whole peppercorns

Instructions:

1. Roast beets: Preheat oven to 400°. Wash beets thoroughly and remove any leafy tops. Wrap beets, whole and unpeeled, in foil, splashing a bit of water in with the beets. Close foil and put wrapped beets in a baking dish in the oven. Roast for one hour to 1 1/2 hours, checking after an hour by poking with a knife. Roasting times will vary according to beet size, freshness, and a variety of other factors. Beets are ready when flesh gives easily when poked with a knife but is not too soft/mushy.

2. Cool beets until they’re able to be handled but still warm. Peel them by rubbing skins off with your fingers (do this under running water or with a paper towel if you want to minimize finger staining). Slice beets into wedges and put them into a jar that fits them snugly with a bit of headroom.

3. Make the brine: in a saucepan mix the vinegar, water, and other remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Immediately pour this liquid over the beets in the jar, tapping jar gently on the counter to release air bubbles. Close jar and allow to cool at room temperature. Once cool they can be transferred to the refrigerator. Beets are ready to eat in a few hours but flavor will intensify after a couple of days. They keep several weeks in the refrigerator.