I absolutely love all pickles—cucumbers, okra, carrots, cauliflower—so if you can pickle it, I will probably eat it. It was only a matter of time before I started making my own. These pickled beets are delicious and make a great snack, and you can use the brine on any vegetable you want. My husband isn’t a pickle fan like I am, but when they’re homemade (and especially quick-pickled like these), he actually quite enjoys them. So make a batch for the pickle-cautious people in your life, and see how it goes—or you can just eat them all yourself. SERVES 4 TO 6
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 24 hours, 15 minutes
½ cup red wine vinegar (or plain white vinegar)
½ cup water
5 whole peppercorns
2 or 3 whole cloves
2 dried bay leaves
2 tablespoons honey
2 or 3 beets, thinly sliced
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the vinegar, water, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, and honey to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Place the sliced beets in a wide-mouthed jar or other container, and carefully pour the liquid over them until they’re covered by about an inch. Let them come to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
VARIATION 1 PICKLED BEET SALAD: Add ½ cup pickled beets to a bowl with 1½ cups of your favorite salad greens. Top with crushed walnuts or almonds.
VARIATION 2 BURGER BOWLS WITH PICKLED BEETS: Use these pickles as a topping on your next Burger Bowls (here), or make Marinated Portobello Mushrooms (here) and top them with the pickled beets.
PREP TIP: These will last in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days, so make them ahead of time if you’re planning to serve them later.
