Pickled beets with aniseed and cinnamon
Pickled beetroots are a typical Danish meat topping. But if you make pickled beets with aniseed and cinnamon they can be served as delicate antipasti as well.
With a store of pickles such as sweet and sour carrots, pickled aubergine, or marinated squash, a salad and some sliced ham or salami you can prepare an impressive antipasti misti in the time it take to lay the table. It is the fast and easy way to produce what may look like many independent starter dishes.
One of the agrodolce antipasti could be these pickled beets with aniseed and cinnamon. In Denmark pickled beetroot are normally made with cloves and horseradish, and we eat them almost every day on top of smørrebrød with liver pate, pork roast, meatballs and herring. The pickled beets with aniseed and cinnamon have a more subtle, oriental flavor that suits less fatty meats, and to tell the different pickles apart, I have used yellow beets for this recipe.
Ingredients
For the brine
300 ml of white wine vinegar
150 g sugar
100 ml water
2 star aniseed
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 dried peperoncino
1 kg beetroots
Preparation
Boil the beetroots in salted water for 20-30 minutes until they are tender, and you can rub off the skin.
Slice the beets and place them in a scalded pickling jar.
Boil vinegar, water sugar and spices for about 5 minutes.
Pour the brine over the beets, close the jar and let them cool.
In an airtight container pickled beets with aniseed and cinnamon will keep for 2-3 months.
Keep them in the fridge once the jar has been opened.
Delicious…
Thanks:)
That looks wonderful and I love the addition of anise
Me too – star anise is definitely on my top ten of desirable flavours.
This is definitely different from anything I’ve eaten or attempted to make….albeit it’s obviously not a difficult recipe. I’m imagining sweet, tangy and sour all in one bite if possible, Mette? :)
You’re right about that. I suppose you are not of Scandinavian or eastern European then, or pickled beet would be part of you culinary heritage.