We Love Beets
In Denmark, much like in the rest of Northern Europe, we love pickling things. Pickling is not only a great method of preserving vegetables, but pickled veggies turn out so delicious and add a very unique flavor to whatever dishes you choose to add them to! One of our absolute favorites is pickled beets or syltede rødbeder. Since beets are sweet, the pickling mixture of vinegar, sugar, and salt cuts through the sweetness. It also brings out the earthy flavor of the beets. Plus, they turn a more vibrant purple color and are so beautiful! They are seriously so easy to make – try them out and you will be addicted.
How to Eat Pickled Beets
Our favorite way to eat these beets is on smørrebrød, which is a traditional Danish open-faced sandwich. We like them on top of leverpostej (liver pate) on rugbrød (rye bread), but you can eat them on any sandwich that has meat or potatoes or cheese on it. Think of them like pickled cucumbers – whatever you put pickles on, you can put pickled beets on too! In general, we like to pair these beets with very fatty and hearty dishes, as they add a nice fresh and zingy balance. Sometimes, we even eat them straight out of the jar because they are that good!
One quick note we would like to add is that this recipe is for refrigerator pickled beets, not a recipe for canning beets and storing them in the pantry. Please consult a tried and tested canning recipe for creating shelf stable pickled beets! This beet recipe is meant to be stored in the fridge and consumed within a few weeks.
Syltede Rødbeder (Pickled Beets)
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets
- 240 ml (1 cup) apple cider vinegar (If using white vinegar, you may want to reduce the amount of vinegar slightly to your taste! If you do reduce the vinegar, add a bit more water so that the total liquid volume is the same (2 cups)!)
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 66 grams (1/3 cup) sugar
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 40 whole peppercorns
Instructions
- Wash the beets thoroughly but do not peel them.
- Add water to a small pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Add the beets and boil for about 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and let the beets cool slightly.
- While the beets are cooling, prepare the pickling brine. Add vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Once the beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skin off using a paper towel (beets can stain!).
- Slice the beets and add them to two 16oz jars. Feel free to use a larger jar if you have it!
- Add about 20 peppercorns to each of the two jars.
- Divide the pickling brine equally between the two jars.
- Add lids and place in the fridge (again, please note that this recipe is for refrigerator pickled beets, not a recipe for canning beets and storing them in the pantry. Please consult a tried and tested canning recipe for creating shelf stable pickled beets!). Make sure to consume within 1-2 weeks!
