Aussie Style Pickled Beetroot

Today is Australia Day, a controversial national holiday, unknown outside of Australia, and even Australians can't decide what it is they are celebrating on this day or whether it should even be on this date. So I thought I'd write about something less controversial. Beetroot. Which in my opinion is Australia's national dish. Or at least, the very sweet pickled sliced version. It is an essential ingredient of any Aussie hamburger or mixed salad, both of which are served by humble cafés, restaurants and pubs up and down the land. Here is how I do it in France, so this recipe might not be authentic, but a hybrid introduced by me to many of my French friends, who, by the way, love it.

 

Cooked organic beetroot in the farm shop at les Jardins Vergers de la Petite Renaudière, our local market garden and orchard.

 

Ingredients

2-6 cooked beetroots (I buy mine pre-cooked from my local organic market garden. They are boiled or pressure cooked whole and in their skins in big batches on the farm. If you need to cook your own, boil them in water for about 30 minutes, until you can slip a knife all the way through them easily.)

Pickling liquor:

200 g white sugar (note that French white sugar is more like castor sugar, but any cheap sugar will do)

450 ml vinegar (I use red wine vinegar in France, but distilled white or malt vinegar would be traditional)

125 ml water (optional, for if you need to extend the quantity a bit, or you want to cut the acidity a bit)

1 tbsp sea salt

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp black peppercorns

½ tsp coriander seeds (optional)

½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

2 sprigs of thyme (optional)

2 bay leaves (optional)

Method

1. Peel the beetroot by cutting the tops and bottoms off and slipping the skins off.
2. Cut the beetroot into slices, dice or wedges.
3. Pack the beetroot into jars.
4. Combine all the pickling liquor in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
5. Stir the mixture on the heat until the sugar dissolves.
6. Pour over the beetroot and seal the jars.
7. Leave to mature for 2 weeks before eating.

 

Fresh organic beetroot in the farm shop at les Jardins Vergers de la Petite Renaudière, our local market garden and orchard.

Homemade pickled beetroot.

Homemade pickled beetroot.

Beetroot with other salad items on the side of a lamb and red wine pie, in a café in Tenterfield, Australia.

A typical Aussie burger, with a slice of beetroot above the tomato and below the beef patty, at a café in Talbingo, Australia.

Laurent, who adopted the role of beetroot wrangler at a party we held.