Pickles & sides
Our family's classic pickled beetroot
Homemade pickled beetroot in a sweet and tangy brine with bay leaves, black pepper and optional cloves. A colourful side for dinner.
Swedish-inspiredMade with 1 kg beetroot
Ingredients
- 1 kg fresh beetroot
- 100 ml Swedish ättika vinegar (12% acidity)
- 200 ml granulated sugar
- 300 ml water
- 5–8 whole cloves (optional)
- 8–10 whole black peppercorns, if desired
- 2–3 bay leaves
Method
- Rinse the beetroot but do not peel it yet. Leave about a centimetre of the stalks and keep the root intact to reduce colour loss.
- Boil in water until tender, about 40–60 minutes depending on size. A knife should slide through fairly easily.
- Drain and briefly rinse with cold water. The skins should now rub off easily with your fingers. Wear gloves unless you want to look as though you have just butchered a dragon.
- Cut the beetroot into slices about 3 mm thick.
- Put the water, sugar, vinegar, bay leaves and spices in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
- Pack the beetroot into a thoroughly cleaned glass jar.
- Pour the hot brine over the still-warm beetroot, making sure it is fully covered.
- Close the lid and allow to cool, then put the jar in the fridge.
- You can eat them after one day, but they taste even better after 3–5 days, once the brine has had time to soak in.