Easy Pickled Beets with Orange & Ginger

(about 2 pints)

The markets in Dallas are filled with beets at the moment. They happen to be one of my favourite vegetables. Their earthy flavour and amazing vivid colour make them difficult for me to resist.

This time I decided to add orange juice and fresh ginger after seeing orange and ginger beets at the salad bar at WF. This recipe makes a small quantity of pickled beets to be consumed within a week.

2 lbs beets
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup white balsamic or cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/4 tsp salt
6-8 whole peppercorns
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

Preheat oven 350°F.

Wash the beets, cut off the tops (save these for another use) and place them in a single layer in an ovenproof dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake the beets for about an hour or a bit longer until they can easily be pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and cool.

Slip off the skins/peels and slice the beets into thin slices. Place the beets into a large nonreactive bowl.

Place the onions, vinegar, orange juice, salt, peppercorns and ginger into a stainless steel saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes.

Pour this over the sliced beets and carefully toss until everything is evenly combined. Allow the beets to marinate for at least several hours or overnight.

They will keep refrigerated for about a week or so.