Moroccan Pickled Golden Beets

There is nothing can deter my love for pickled things. So delicious. I had my first go at serious pickling last summer. It turned into one of those horrifying, devastating projects that was remarkably beautiful and so salty they were inedible. It was devastating. But back on the horse, I am planning a huge garden of cucumbers, green beans and peas that I want to preserve into the winter. So a new book has graced my bookshelf, and the pickling projects have begun. These beets were a test run and a simple quick pickle recipe that yielded amazing results in just a few hours. Toasty crushed cumin seeds and garlic add really special flavors to the red wine vinegar that quickly turns tiny beet cubes in a flavorful pickled treat. I love these beets tossed with salad greens but they are also excellent by themselves tossed with a little olive oil.

Moroccan Pickled Golden Beets adapted from The Joy of Pickling

Yield: 2 1/2 to 3 cups

4 medium golden beets

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

Olive oil for serving

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Wash and trim any green parts from beets. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast until tender and easily pierced by a knife, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool.

2. While the beets are roasting, gently toast the cumin seeds and crush them with a mortar and pestle.

3. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel with a vegetable peeler and dice into about 1/4 inch pieces.

4. Put the beets and garlic into a quart sized mason jar.

5. In a small nonreactive saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, and cumin to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the beets.

6. Let the jar stand at room temperature, turning the beets occasionally, for several hours. (If you won't be eating the beets the same day, store the jar, covered, in the refrigerator.)

7. Just before serving the beets, toss them with the olive oil.

The beets should keep well for at least 2 weeks.