There are lots of recipes and methods for pickling out there, but this one for beets (and I like to add a few slivers of onion) is my favorite fast go-to. I roast the beets whenever the oven is on for something else, or boil them, which is a bit faster. If you are using onions, add them at the end.
Adapted from Pickled Beets by Simply Recipes
Ingredients
4 or 5 beets
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Remove the greens from the beets (use them in Braised Beet Greens). Scrub the beets clean.
- Cook the beets.
*To boil: Place the beets in a medium saucepan and cover with about an inch of water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat then lower the heat and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, until they are easily pierced with the tines of a fork (large beets will take longer). Drain them and rinse in cold water to cool them down.
*To roast: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rub the beets with olive oil and wrap them together in a large piece of foil (you can wrap them all together, no need to wrap them individually). Roast for an hour or until they are easily pierced with a fork, remove from the oven and let them cool to the touch. - Slip the skins off the beets with your fingers (they should come off easily). Discard the peels.
- Cut the beets into slices or quarters.
- Make a vinaigrette dressing with the remaining ingredients: Combine the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard, then whish with a fork. Whisk ingredients together with a fork (the dry mustard is necessary to help emulsify the vinaigrette). Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss the beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and marinate for at half hour at room temperature before serving. The beets will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Enjoy!
