Pickled Beets
Description
I had to make this recipe several times before I hit upon the exactly right ingredients before I thought I really hit the mark. I use brown sugar in the recipe instead of white sugar and I really like the way the deeper sweetness of the brown sugar and pumpkin-pie spices works alongside the tart sharpness of the cider vinegar.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Pre-heat oven to 400*
Peel beets with a vegetable peeler and cut them into quarters that are pretty much uniform size. Line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil and place the beets in the pan. Cover with foil. Put beets into the pre-heated oven and roast them for about 35 minutes. Check for doneness and then roast an additional few minutes until the beets are fork tender, but still a little on the firm side--I find that a tender, but still firm beet fares better in the brine.
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Take the beets out of the oven, uncover them and let them cool until room-temperature, or just warm.
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In a medium sauce pan, heat the vinegar, brown sugar, salt allspice and cloves. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to make sure the sugar doesn't burn. Let simmer for a minute or two.
Remove from heat.
In a large jar, pack the roasted beets about halfway up the jar.
Ladle about half the vinegar mixture into the jar, making sure to get some of the cloves and allspice into the jar.
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Pack the rest of the beets into the jar tightly, pressing down gently as you go. Once you've packed as many beets as you can into the jar, add the rest of the brine, making sure to cover all the beets with the brine.
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Cover loosely until slightly cooled, and then screw the lid on the jar and refrigerate. They will be nicely pickled in about 24 hours, but will develop flavor and be at their best in about 3 days.
You can keep them in the fridge for about two weeks.
