Wheat free * Dairy free * Gluten free * Vegetarian * Vegan * Parve

 

Summer is winding down.  All those wonderful tomatoes I have been cooking with are disappearing from my CSA pickup.  The only tomatoes that arrived this week was a pint of yellow cherry tomatoes.  But, sad as the end of tomato season is, other goodies are beginning to appear.  This week we has beets, and squash, and cauliflower.

I love beets.  Generally I just roast them, but this week I decided to venture further than usual and make pickled beets.  I’m kind of forced into this decision as my favorite brand of store bought pickled beets “greenwood” seems to have disappeared from the supermarket shelves and in it’s place is “nelly’s” which has way too much clove for my taste.  Although I do like pickled beets as a side dish by themselves, mostly I use them to make beet horseradish to serve with my (store bought) gefilte fish.  All you have to do is put some drained pickled beets into a food processor and puree them until somewhere between finely chopped and pureed.  Then just stir in prepared horseradish (I use Gold’s white horseradish) to taste.

I served the horseradish with A & B salmon gefilte fish (it’s gluten free) that I buy frozen in a log, then boil according to package directions.  It was a real hit at my break-fast.

Pickled Beets

4 cups peeled, sliced beets

6 cups water

1/2 cup distilled vinegar

2 tablespoons Kuzu rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoon whole allspice

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 whole cloves

2 whole cardamom pods

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion

2 bay leaves

Place beets in a 3 quart pot add 6 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 3 cups of the cooking liquid.

While the beets are cooking, create a spice bag.  Line a 1/2 cup measuring cup with cheesecloth folded into 4 layers.

Add the coriander seeds, allspice, mustard seeds, clove, cardamom, and red pepper flakes.  Sift edges and tie with string

 

Return beets to the pot and add reserved cooking liquid, onion, vinegar, cider vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, and spice bag.

Return to a boil and simmer, covered, 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until beets are tender.   Place in storage container and refrigerate until needed.

Makes:  1 quart