Pickled beets in winter can serve as a good snack and become a real decoration of the table. In addition, it can be used as an addition to grilled or stewed meat. Pickled beets are also a great ingredient in various salads and vinaigrettes.
How to cook pickled beets
To marinate beets for the winter, you need to take the following ingredients:
- beets;
For the marinade for 1 glass of water:
- 3 tbsp. l. vinegar;
- 1 tbsp. l. granulated sugar;
- ½ tsp. salt;
- peppercorns;
- 2-3 carnation buds;
- 1 bay leaf.
Rinse the beets very well under cold running water. Then place in an aluminum pan, cover with water and cook until the beets are soft. Then remove from heat and cool directly in the broth. After that, peel the beets, cut them into small cubes and put them in pre-prepared (washed and sterilized) jars and fill them with marinade. To prepare it, pour water into a clean saucepan and add all the ingredients: granulated sugar, salt, vinegar, pepper, cloves and bay leaves. Place the marinade on a low heat, bring to a boil and then refrigerate. Then sterilize the cans with beets and roll up the lids.
Secrets of delicious marinades
The quality of the prepared marinade depends very much on the type of vinegar used. Especially delicious are marinades prepared with table vinegar or grape infused with aromatic herbs. If the vinegar is strong enough (9%), then it should be diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio. And after that add salt, granulated sugar and various spices to taste (pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, bay leaf, cumin). The amount of ingredients in the marinade pouring may vary depending on the taste. The marinade must boil very well, after which it must be cooled.
To prevent pickled foods from spoiling and becoming moldy, pour a thin layer of vegetable oil on top of the marinade. It is recommended to store jars of pickled vegetables in a cool and dry place.
For harvesting beets for the winter, you can use another marinade filling. It will require:
- 1 ½ tsp. black pepper;
- 1 ½ tbsp. l. mustard seed;
- 1 tsp allspice;
- 7 bay leaves;
- 12 pcs. carnations;
- other spices to taste (thyme, coriander);
- a little dry dill (stem, flowers, seeds);
-800 g granulated sugar;
- ¾ glass of salt;
- 2 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar;
- 3 liters of water.
Pour 3 liters of water into a deep saucepan and add all the other ingredients. Stir well, put on fire and bring to a boil. Then remove the pan from the stove and let the marinade brew for 2 hours. After this time, strain the dressing through a gauze filter. Then heat to 75 ° C and pour the beets into prepared and placed in glass jars.
