This simple recipe for pickled beetroot, extracted from Kylee Newton’s new book ‘The Modern Preserver’s Kitchen’, can be used to pickle any number of vegetables to transform your cooking
JARS OF PICKLES FEATURED IN ‘THE MODERN PRESERVER’S KITCHEN’ BY KYLEE NEWTON. IMAGE: LAURA EDWARDS
Almost all vegetables can be pickled with a spiced vinegar brine, although I generally stay away from starchy vegetables (that said, I have eaten pickled potatoes in restaurants). Restaurant pickle brines often differ from preserving pickle brines. Chefs tend to pickle for a day and up to a week, making a “quick pickle”. These pickles work on a 3:2:1 ratio of vinegar:water:sugar. This extra water and sugar makes it palatable quicker compared to a “preserving pickle” where the higher acidity from the extra vinegar creates longevity.
Try mixing and matching different spices with vinegars or omitting any added water and replacing it with distilled alcohols. Peel, slice, dice, cut, disc, baton and grate your vegetables as you wish them to be presented on your plate. Think about the absorbency of the vegetables, as this can determine the thickness of your cut. Some, like cucumber, shouldn’t be cut too thin as they can turn soft and mushy.
Pickled Beetroot
Ingredients
- 450-500 g (1lb–1lb 2oz) beetroot (beets), peeled, thinly sliced/ diced (blanched in boiling water) or grated
- 450 ml (scant 2 cups) white wine vinegar
- 100 ml (1/3 cup) filtered water
- 50 g (1/4 cup) white sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cloves, gently toasted
- 3 green cardamom pods, gently smashed
- 2-3 pared strips of lemon zest
The Modern Preserver’s Kitchen by Kylee Newton (Quadrille, £22) Photography ©Laura Edwards
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