Beetroot. Luscious, deep purple/pink root vegetables that give so much more than they get. Incredibly good for you and your liver, beet finds itself being used more and more as cooks wake up to the versatility of this humble vegetable. This is step #1 in a 3 step process, so you need to be patient. But at the end, the results are so very worth it.
BRONEK’S BEETS
Ingredients:
2 bunches of fresh preferably home-grown or organic beetroot
2 sprigs of fresh dill
4-6 cloves of fresh garlic, cut into halves
peppercorns
4 bay leaves
Salt, water
1 small piece of pure rye bread. (just a piece of a crust is plenty)
Chopped beets
Method:
First step is boil about 2 litres of water, place in a bowl, and add 20 grams of salt per litre, so in this case, 40 grams of salt. Place in the fridge to cool. You can do this the day before, because you don’t want the water to be warm.
Scrub the beetroot, or peel if they are old, and cut into largish pieces so they are fairly even, with a big surface area. Layer the beets into a large, sterilised jar with a good seal, placing the garlic, dill, bay and peppercorns in layers. Pack them in fairly tightly.
Pickled beets
If you want and you have it, you can add a teaspoon of pickled dill (available at good Polish delicatessens), then add the small piece of rye bread. Ladle the water into the jar until the beets are completely covered. Seal, and leave for 10 – 14 days.
Beet juice
Note: In the video, Bronek says 7-10 days is enough, but I left mine for 2 weeks, burping every day for a few seconds as it bubbled away, and when we tried the juice after 2 weeks, Bronek decided that it was better for the longer time. So that’s what we do now. And he adds a small spoon of his sauerkraut juice just to help things along, but that’s not really a must do.
Hubble bubble pickle
After the 2 weeks, pour off the juice into a jug and keep in the fridge. Drink a small shot of it every day and your liver and body will thank you. It’s the best probiotic you can have – and natural!
BBs. Bronek and beet juice
Then, the beets are turned into two more dishes, and you’ll have to wait a bit until I post that. But coming up soon!
Do you enjoy making these home pickles dear foodie peeps? I have absolutely fallen in love with the whole process as well as the end result. Makes me feel very virtuous, and healthy! Win/win!
Chrissie
