RED BEETS

On Saturday I tasted my pickled Red Beets that I had put up the week before and they were great. The Star anise was a great touch.
I had originally prepared them to go with Biff Lindström but am holding off on that due to a great overdose of meat! Brought on by eating a "Jackson Hole" Hamburger on Saturday night, I think there was over a pound of meat in that thing.
It is veggies and fish and chicken for awhile



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Pickled Beets with Star Anise
makes 4 cups

2lbs of small beets (I think in the summer I will try it with different colored beets)
salt

Brine:
3 cups distilled vinegar
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 star anise
1 tablespoon peppercorns

Peel the beets and boil them in salted water for about 20 minutemayber a little less they should have some bite not too soft.

While the beets are boiling, make the brine. Bring the vinegar, sugar, star anise, and peppercorns to a boil in a pot, whisking until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat off and let cool.

Drain the cooked beets and when cool enough to handle, cut into 1/4 inch slices. Pack them in a sterilized jar, pressing them together. Pour over the brine and seal tightly. Let rest for 1 week before serving.

This recipe is from The Scandinavian Cookbook by Trina Hahnemann.



Now what I did ( and they came out great) was since I found that baby beets were not that plentiful this time of year I bought baby beets from Trader Joe's which are already cooked.

I also had some trouble locating the sugar The definition which is below.

"Superfine Sugar"

Other names: bar sugar, castor sugar, or ultrafine sugar, caster

Spanish name: azúcar blanca de granulado muy fino

Also referred to as bar or castor sugar -- superfine sugar is granulated sugar ground very fine. It dissolves very quickly which is why it is preferred for drinks and some confectionery tasks.




So I just took regular sugar, a mortar and pestle and made my own superfine sugar.

I have made jam before so knew how to sterilize the jars, just place them in boiling water for half a minute don't forget to include the lids. After a week I opened up my jar tasted it-loved them- and now it lives in the refrigerator.