As the fruits and vegetables would ripen, my grandmother would be preparing winter food stores. For that purpose, grandfather was forced to build a small summer kitchen outside the house. Jam and marmalade would simmer on the stove, but during June my favourite winter salad would also be cooked and pickled. This is my first attempt. Competition for the grandmother? Hardly, but you have got to start somewhere :).
Ingredients
1 kg (2.20 lb) beetroot
a pinch of caraway
For the brine:
600 ml (20.40 fl oz) water
100 ml (3.40 fl oz) vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Preparation
Remove the stalks with the scissors leaving only a part of it (about 3 cm). Wash the beetroot, place them in a deep saucepan. Cover with water and boil on mid heat for about 1 hour.
Wash one larger jar about 1,3 l/44 fl oz or 2 jars about 700 ml/24 fl oz and place them in an oven preheated to 90˚C/194°F for 10 minutes. Leave to cool.
Mix the ingredients for the brine and slightly heat it up so the salt and sugar would melt.
Protect your hands with gloves so they would not be stained by intense beetroot colour. Simply remove the skin from the boiled beetroot with your hands. Slice in thin slices and place in a jar. Use a knife to go around all sides of the jar and around the beetroot to remove the excess air. Close with a lid.
Place a kitchen towel into the saucepan and then put the jar onto the kitchen towel. Pour water so that the jar is 2/3 covered in water and then leave the water to boil. When it boils, leave for another 10 minutes and then remove from fire.
Leave the jar to cool completely in that water. Then remove it, wipe it and store in a dark and dry place. After opening keep the beetroot in the refrigerator.
Serving
Pickled beetroot is served as a salad along the meat dishes and various other kinds of dishes.
Preparation time
90 minutes
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