Pickled beetroot
A far cry from soggy overly-vinegared beetroot, this lightly spiced pickled beetroot is crunchy and captures the rich earthiness of fresh beetroot. It’s especially good with pan-fried mackerel, barbecued foods or served simply with a good cheddar and crusty bread.
For this recipe you will need two 500ml/18fl oz sterilised jars.
Method
Wash the beetroot well, leaving the roots and trimmed stalks intact. Put in a pan, cover with cold water, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and then plunge the beetroot into a bowl of cold water to prevent them cooking any further. When cool enough to handle, rub the skins lightly to remove.
Chop the beetroot into small cubes (ideally less than 1cm/½in). Halve, quarter and core the apple (no need to peel) and cut into similar sized pieces as the beetroot. Chop the onion or shallot into similar sized pieces. Place the beetroot, apple and onion in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt.
Blend together the cornflour, paprika, cumin, coriander and black pepper with 50ml/2fl oz water. Set aside.
Put the vinegar, 175ml/6fl oz water and the sugar in a large saucepan. Place over a low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Scrape in the cornflour paste and bring to a simmer, stirring until the mixture has slightly thickened.
Add the prepared beetroot, apple and onion to the pan and simmer for 3–5 minutes, or until the beetroot is cooked throughout but still holding it's shape (if your cubes are on the large side you might need to cook the mixture for a little longer). Remove from the heat. Spoon into the sterilised jars filling to the brim and tucking in a couple of mint leaves here and there (make sure everything is covered by the spicy vinegar). Seal with a vinegar-safe lid and invert the jars for a minute or so to ensure the lids are sterilised, then turn the right way up and leave to cool.
The pickle can be eaten straight away. Otherwise keep in a cool place for up to 6 months. Once opened, store in the fridge for up to 8 weeks.
Recipe Tips
How to sterilise jars: prepare your jars and lids shortly before you need them. You can do this by putting them through a hot (60C) dishwasher cycle shortly before you need them (don’t try to dry them with a tea towel, let them air dry) or wash them in hot water then place in an oven preheated to 140C/120C Fan/Gas 1 for 15 minutes (switch off the oven and leave the jars inside until needed). Alternatively, place the jars in a large stock pot with a clean folded cloth or trivet placed on the base, cover the jars completely with cold water and bring to simmering point (90C) for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the jars in the hot water until you need them. When your preserve is ready, carefully remove the jars from the pan, tipping out the water as you do so – a pair of bottling tongs makes this job easy, but otherwise use ordinary tongs.
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