Pickled Beets
When I was growing up, I thought that all vegetables grew inside a can. Needless to say, I loathed most vegetables as a kid. This was especially true of beets: which were not only mushy, but also tasted of the can, and always had a hint of dirt flavor as I swallowed. I would try to eat them to avoid being punished for not finishing my dinner, but I would end up gagging and crying and in a fit by the end of dinner. Needless to say; for a very long time (even as a Chef of 20+ years) I considered beets to be one of those things that grew straight up out of Hell!
Being a Chef, and always on the hunt for new ways to cook things. I came across a recipe for pickled beets that didn't look too offensive. I love pickled things: Any food doused in vinegar and salt and spices is always going to be my favorite thing on a plate.
What is Pickling, and why do we do it? Simple: Pickling is a global culinary art. If you were to go on an international food-tasting tour, you’d find pickled foods just about everywhere. You might sample kosher cucumber pickles in New York City, chutneys in India, kimchi in Korea, miso pickles in Japan, salted duck eggs in China, pickled herring in Scandinavia, corned beef in Ireland, salsas in Mexico, pickled pigs feet in the southern United States, and much, much more.
What makes a pickle a pickle? On a most general level, pickles are foods soaked in solutions that help prevent spoilage.
There are two basic categories of pickles. The first type includes pickles preserved in vinegar, a strong acid in which few bacteria can survive. Most of the bottled kosher cucumber pickles available in the supermarket are preserved in vinegar.
The other category includes pickles soaked in a salt brine to encourage frementation—the growth of "good" bacteria that make a food less vulnerable to "bad" spoilage-causing bacteria. Common examples of fermented pickles include KIMCHEE, MISO, and many vegetable pickles: Such as cabbage, cucumbers, okra, carrots, etc....
Pickling is not only an international food-preservation technique, it’s also an ancient one. For thousands of years, our ancestors have explored ways to pickle foods, following an instinct to secure surplus food supplies for long winters, famine, and other times of need. Historians know, for instance, that over two thousand years ago, workers building the Great Wall of China ate sauerkraut, a kind of fermented cabbage.
But pickling foods does much more than simply preserve them. It can also change their taste and texture in a profusion of interesting—and yummy—ways. It’s no surprise that cultures across the globe enjoy such an assortment of pickled foods, as you would discover on your international food expedition. In fact, food experts say, the evolution of diverse pickled foods in different cultures has contributed to unique cultural food preferences, such as spicy sour tastes in Southeast Asia and acidic flavors in eastern Europe.
NOW YOU KNOW!
I tried the Pickled beet recipe and I ended up loving it. Pickled beets are my new favorite 'thing of the month'. The best part of this recipe is that there are onions pickled in with the beets and they are, not only, amazingly tasty, but beautifully colored from the beets. Once you have eaten all the beets and onions out of the pickling liquid, slice up a few more onions and let them rest in the beet brine for a few days and you have a second batch of delicious pickled onions. It's the gift that keeps on giving!
Pickled Beets
6 medium (or 4 large) red beets, cleaned
Being a Chef, and always on the hunt for new ways to cook things. I came across a recipe for pickled beets that didn't look too offensive. I love pickled things: Any food doused in vinegar and salt and spices is always going to be my favorite thing on a plate.
What is Pickling, and why do we do it? Simple: Pickling is a global culinary art. If you were to go on an international food-tasting tour, you’d find pickled foods just about everywhere. You might sample kosher cucumber pickles in New York City, chutneys in India, kimchi in Korea, miso pickles in Japan, salted duck eggs in China, pickled herring in Scandinavia, corned beef in Ireland, salsas in Mexico, pickled pigs feet in the southern United States, and much, much more.
What makes a pickle a pickle? On a most general level, pickles are foods soaked in solutions that help prevent spoilage.
There are two basic categories of pickles. The first type includes pickles preserved in vinegar, a strong acid in which few bacteria can survive. Most of the bottled kosher cucumber pickles available in the supermarket are preserved in vinegar.
The other category includes pickles soaked in a salt brine to encourage frementation—the growth of "good" bacteria that make a food less vulnerable to "bad" spoilage-causing bacteria. Common examples of fermented pickles include KIMCHEE, MISO, and many vegetable pickles: Such as cabbage, cucumbers, okra, carrots, etc....
Pickling is not only an international food-preservation technique, it’s also an ancient one. For thousands of years, our ancestors have explored ways to pickle foods, following an instinct to secure surplus food supplies for long winters, famine, and other times of need. Historians know, for instance, that over two thousand years ago, workers building the Great Wall of China ate sauerkraut, a kind of fermented cabbage.
But pickling foods does much more than simply preserve them. It can also change their taste and texture in a profusion of interesting—and yummy—ways. It’s no surprise that cultures across the globe enjoy such an assortment of pickled foods, as you would discover on your international food expedition. In fact, food experts say, the evolution of diverse pickled foods in different cultures has contributed to unique cultural food preferences, such as spicy sour tastes in Southeast Asia and acidic flavors in eastern Europe.
NOW YOU KNOW!
I tried the Pickled beet recipe and I ended up loving it. Pickled beets are my new favorite 'thing of the month'. The best part of this recipe is that there are onions pickled in with the beets and they are, not only, amazingly tasty, but beautifully colored from the beets. Once you have eaten all the beets and onions out of the pickling liquid, slice up a few more onions and let them rest in the beet brine for a few days and you have a second batch of delicious pickled onions. It's the gift that keeps on giving!
Pickled Beets
6 medium (or 4 large) red beets, cleaned
1 onion-peeled and quartered
1 bunch Thyme
2 teaspoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl toss all of the ingredients. Place into a foil pouch and roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
In a large bowl toss all of the ingredients. Place into a foil pouch and roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
2 large Vidalia (or other white,sweet) onions-peeled and sliced into rings
3 cups red wine vinegar
3 cups red wine vinegar
2 cup water
1 Tbs. Sea salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
Remove the skin from the Roasted Beets and slice thinly. Arrange in
1-quart jars alternating layers with the onion. In a small pot boil the
rest of the ingredients and pour over the beets. Tightly lid the jars
and place in the refrigerator for 3 to 7 days before serving.
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