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Pickled beetroot salad (beetslaai)
A bottle or two of tangy beetroot is a very handy thing to have in the pantry when you need to conjure up salad in a hurry. This spicy beetroot salad, also known as pickled beetroot or even beetroot relish, is a favourite in both South-Africa and New Zealand.
The one issue we have with beetroot salad is how the sauce runs all over your plate and turns everything red, but a friend showed Marietjie how she serves beetroot in wee bowls that are small enough to be placed on each plate. This way, the sauce stays out of trouble.
Ingredients
- 750 to 800 gram raw beetroot
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- 1 cup (250 ml) brown vinegar
- 1 cup (250 ml) sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) all spice (optional)
- Pinch of black pepper
Method
- Wash and trim the ends from the beetroot and place in a saucepan.
- Cover with boiling water and boil until tender. This can take about 30 minutes, but the time depends on the size of your beetroot.
- Peel the skins and cut them into slices or wedges.
- Use a large stainless steel saucepan to heat the water, vinegar, sugar and spices together. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to the boil.
- Add the beetroot, lower the heat, put the lid on the saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Spoon the hot beetroot and sauce in to sterilised jars and seal the jars.
Allow the flavour of the beetroot to develop for at least a week before opening.
Notes:
Pickled beetroot will keep for 6-8 months stored in a cool, dark place. Once opened, store in the refrigerator and serve cold.
Tip: use surgical gloves when you peel the beetroot, to prevent your hands from getting beet red.
Comments
oops use surgical cloves ?
Very well, let's make it "use surgical gloves" then :-)
Ciao Marietjie, thank you for the message, I am very happy that the grissini were a success, and i hope that you will enjoy the rest of the book too :-). If you live in Chch you can find it at Mercato and at the Children bookstore, and of course is at Emma's at Oxford too!
And lovely to find your blog, and learn more about South African cuisine :-)
Ciao
Alessandra
http://alessandrazecchini.blogspot.com/
Another way of getting the beetroot done, is by roasting them in the oven. It could be done while something else is baking. They need about 1 1/2 hour in an oven of 180C, but it can be slow roasted in a cooler oven - allow a bit more time then. Prick them with a skewer or knife to see if they are soft. Allow the beetroot to cool down then peel and cube.