Beetroot and shallot pickles
The deep red of the beetroot and the pink of the shallots in the vinegar, a jar that reminds us that preserving is also a visual work.
Pickles are a universal preservation technique: you plunge a vegetable into a spiced vinegar brought to a simmer, then sterilise. The acidity (pH < 4.5) blocks any fermentation and any bacterial growth. Beetroot is one of the most emblematic vegetables of this technique in England, where it appears on every pub table and Sunday roast.
Ingredients
- 1 kg (3-4 medium beetroots)
- 200 g (about 8 small)
- Red wine vinegar1 L
minimum 6% acidity
- Caster sugar (optional)100 g
to soften the acidity
- Sea salt1 level tbsp
- 1 tsp
- Black peppercorns1 tsp
- Juniper berries1 tsp (optional)
- 2 leaves
Equipment
- •1 large pot
- •3 to 4 rubber-seal jars of 500 ml (screw-top jars are not tight enough for this long keeping)
- •1 jar funnel
Steps
- 1
Prepare the beetroots
Brush the beetroots, keep the skin at first. Cook them whole in salted boiling water for 30 to 45 minutes depending on size (a knife should go in easily). Let cool, then peel (the skin comes off with the fingers) and cut into 5 mm rounds or cubes.
45 min + cooling
- 2
Prepare the shallots
Plunge the peeled shallots into boiling water for 30 seconds, the skin then comes off very easily. Keep them whole or cut the largest in two.
10 min
- 3
Prepare the spiced vinegar
In the pot, pour the vinegar, the sugar (if using), the salt, the coriander seeds, the pepper, the juniper and the bay. Bring gently to a simmer (not a violent boil, the vinegar evaporates and its acidity drops). Let it simmer 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool 10 min.
25 min
- 4
Sterilise the jars
While the vinegar infuses, wash the jars and seals in hot soapy water, rinse, then scald 10 min or put in the oven (100 °C, 10 min), never put the rubber seals in the oven.
15 min
- 5
Assemble
Pack the beetroots and shallots into the hot jars, packing them well. Pour the still-warm vinegar to completely cover the vegetables (any part exposed to the air would rot). Close airtight.
15 min
- 6
Wait 1 month
Place the jars in a cool, dry cupboard. Do not open before a month, that's the time for the pickles to infuse the vinegar, soften and develop their full flavour.
1 month minimum
Storage
1 year minimum, even more, as long as the jar stays sealed. Once opened, keep in the fridge and eat within the month.
How to use it
1 to 3 rounds as a side to a strong cheese, cold meat, a beef bourguignon, a raclette. Also very good in a warm potato salad. The pickling juice makes an excellent fragrant vinaigrette.
Health properties
- Betanin and betalains of the beetroot (red antioxidant pigments), partly preserved in the vinegar
- A supply of dietary nitrates from the beetroot
- The vinegar stimulates the production of gastric juices (digestive)
- Long keeping without refrigeration, a pillar of self-sufficiency
- No live cultures: the vinegar and heating kill them, unlike lacto-fermentations
These preparations belong to cooking and herbal tradition: they nourish and support, do not “cure” anything and replace no treatment. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before prolonged use, if under treatment, pregnant or breastfeeding, or for a child. Follow the stated storage precautions strictly.
Precautions
Rubber-seal jars essential (screw-top lids are not tight enough over the long term and risk slow oxidation). People with high blood pressure: moderate (salt + tangy vinegar). People prone to reflux: the vinegar may worsen it. Check for the absence of bulging of the jar on opening (a rare but possible sign of contamination).
Sources & tradition
- · English tradition (Pickled Beetroot, a staple of pub food)
- · L'autosuffisance, c'est possible ! (Cherche-Midi)
- · Marie-Claire Frédéric, Bocaux, pickles & lacto-fermentations (2014), vinegar method