Says author Yvette van Boven, "Serve this beet salad as an appetizer with smoked fish or as a side with meat dishes. I like serving it with goat's cheese. You could also add some green salad. This beet salad recipe makes about 4 liters [1 gallon]. So clear a shelf in your basement. Or, simply halve the amounts to make a smaller batch."
Yield: Makes about 1 gallon (4 liters).
Ingredients:
- 3.3 lb sweet-sharp apples, e.g. Elstar (1.5 kg), peeled and diced
- 2 red onions, peeled and sliced into thin rings
- 3-4 slices of fresh ginger (don't bother to peel)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 2 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 1/4 cup raspberry vinegar (or red wine vinegar), (300 ml)
- 1 1/3 cup (cane) sugar (250 g)
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6.6 lb precooked beets (3 kg), peeled and diced
For an appetizer for 4 people:
- 1 lb pickled beet salad (500 g)
- 1 St. Maure goat's cheese, or another good goat's cheese, about 8 oz (200 g)
- 4 cups arugula (rocket), mesclun, or a mix (150 g)
Preparation:
Add the beets, stir gently (so that the apple and beet pieces don't break apart) and allow to warm through.
Prepare four 1 liter or eight 1/2 liter jars for canning [see Preparing Jars for Canning and Boiling Water Processing]. Spoon the beet salad into four 1 liter or eight 1/2 liter jars. Leave in the boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and keep in a dark place until needed.
You can also make this salad without canning. Simply allow the ingredients to macerate for a while - an hour should be plenty.
Serve a nice helping of beet salad with some salad greens and three slices of goat's cheese per person. Drizzle with good olive oil just before serving.
Karin's Tips:
