Ingredients
6 small to medium whole beets (use similar size beets so they cook at the same time)
2 small onions
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions
Wash and rinse the beets until all traces of dirt are gone. Place beets in large heavy pan and cover with water over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until fork tender (about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your beets). Remove from heat and drain. Let beets cool then peel or slice off the skin after removing the ends of the beets. Slice the onions too and mix beets and onions together in a bowl.
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| I love the deep colour of beets. This is the colour of the water after you've boiled the beets. Be careful about spilling the water on anything you don't want stained. |
In a cup add the sugar and pour in vinegar until the cup is half full. I've estimated the amount. Next pour in the oil until all the sugar and the liquids measure about 3/4 of a cup. Stir well and sprinkle with cinnamon. Just a few dashes will be enough. Now taste the mixture. You can add more sugar, vinegar and/or oil to taste. Pour liquid mixture over the beets and onions and mix well.
Store in the refrigerator overnight. This will let the beets and onions "pickle" and become flavoured before eating. It is best to use an old pickle jar to marinate these pickles so you can shake them every now and then to make sure they marinate well. I didn't have an old pickle jar so I'm using a glass container with a seal proof lid. These won't keep long so eat and enjoy!
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| This container isn't quite large enough for my beet mixture but it has a seal proof cover and I will be able to shake the vinegar mixture around from time to time to marinate the beets and onions. |
This recipe is a variation of my mom's quick pickles. Sometimes she would whip these up at Christmas but mostly she would make them when she wanted a sweet - sour taste with wild meat. I know most beet pickle recipes call for a boiled brine. I recommend finding a recipe with a boiled brine if you want to keep your pickles in the refrigerator for a few months. This recipe is good if you hope to eat up your pickles quickly or you don't have any pickles on hand and you are craving for some!
