Cooking at the Cottage
Pesto/Feta Sandwich with Beet Pickles

Pickled Beets
Makes about 4 pint jars

Click here for a printable version of the recipe.

Most pickled beets are so achingly sweet I tend to forget I’m eating beets, or pickles. All you need is a touch of honey to mellow out the vinegar a bit.

3 pounds of beets, tops removed, scrubbed
4 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
1/4 cup mild honey
2 teaspoons pure kosher salt
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole all spice
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Cook the beets in boiling water to cover until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Rub off the skins, trim, quarter, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Set aside.

Prepare for water-bath canning: Wash the jars and keep them hot in the canning pot, and put the flat lids in a heatproof bowl.

In a wide, 6- to 8-quart preserving pan, combine the vinegar, 1-1/2 cups water, the honey, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately add the beets; bring just to a simmer.

Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the hot jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel. Drain the water off the jar lids.

Working quickly, using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the hot beets (and some of the spices) to the hot jars. Ladle or pour in the hot vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2-inch headspace at the top. Use a chopstick to remove air bubbles around the inside of each jar. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it’s just finger-tight. Return the jars to the water in the canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and boil for 30 minutes to process. Remove the jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours. After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each; if it can be pushed down, it hasn’t sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. Label the sealed jars and store.

 

 

IngredientsSlicing the Beets

Brining the Beets

Adding Liquid

Releasing Air BubblesAdding LidsRemoving Jars from Bath

Pickled Beet and Pesto Sandwiches

1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), toasted
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of salt
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 square-ish ciabatta rolls, split and toasted
1 pint Pickled Beets (above)
6 ounces feta cheese, sliced

Put the cilantro pepitas, Parmesan cheese, and salt in a mini food processor and pulse to finely chop. Add the oil, a tablespoon at a time, processing to make a smooth paste. Spread pesto on the cut rolls, top with the beets and feta cheese, and close to serve sandwich style.

 

 

Ingredients

Pesto in Food Processor

Recipes from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff. Copyright © 2010. Reprinted with permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, NY. All rights reserved.

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