Miscellaneous, Vegetables
Mom's Pickled Beets

My mom used to make beets and hard-boiled eggs by the gallon when I was a kid, and I still love them. Unfortunately, I never got around to getting the recipe from her, but over the years, I've fiddled and experimented where it's just about identical. You can roast them in the oven, but this Crock-Pot® method makes them super easy to peel without overcooking.

4 or 5 large firm fresh red or golden beets Cooking spray Olive oil Salt

Pickling liquid 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup simple syrup 3/4 cup white vinegar Water

Wash, trim, and halve each beet lengthwise.

Place each beet half on a small square of aluminum foil that's been sprayed very lightly with cooking spray. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on each piece and sprinkle with just a few grains of salt. Double wrap each piece.

Put a rack in the bottom of the Crock-Pot® (a few loosely crumbled pieces of aluminum foil works if you don't have a rack) with about 1 cup of water, and layer the wrapped beets on top of the rack. Cook on high for 2 hours, then switch to low for for another 2-3 hours depending on the size.

Remove the beets from the crock, leaving them wrapped, and refrigerate overnight in a large bowl. (No matter how tightly you've wrapped them, they'll still leak, and that stuff is a mess to clean up inside the fridge.)

Unwrap and peel each half. They should peel very easily by running your thumb underneath the edge of the peel and working your way back and forth up to the top. Place them in a glass or plastic container. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pour in the simple syrup, the vinegar, and enough water to just cover the beets, up to 1 cup (see notes).

Seal the container, toss to mix the liquids, and refrigerate at least overnight.

Notes

If 1 cup of water does not cover the beets, increase the simple syrup and the vinegar by 1/4 cup each, and add up to 1/2 cup of additional water. Repeat if needed.