NORWEGIAN STYLE PICKLED BEETROOT

I can still remember my Grandmother saying, "Your blood will get  liquid if you keep drinking it", what was it? The bittersweet brine of the pickled beetroot. I didn't only munch the beetroot, I also drank the brine , and I still do. In my family everybody had a smaller or bigger fruit and vegetable garden , strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, blackcurrant, currants, snap peas, radiches, carrots and of course beetroots, here in Spain not very appreciated, but here I'm a real Norwegian,  love it so much.

In both grandmother's kitchens and in my mother's, we always did marmelades, mashed fruits, fruit jellies and pickels of  our harvest, the cellars where always full of mason jars, labeled with the contents, and the date of manufacturing.

The winter was and is long in Norway, and all these years ago, it was important to stock up, not like today, just pop to the super to buy anything. And the Norwegians are trying to go back to the "short travelled food", and I try to get local food as much as possible.

Happy me, the beetroot from the farmers market ( I dont have a huge cellar to store ), are now pickled and filled in small glasses, only myself  like it at home, so I don't make a big amount of it.

Shopping list

1 kg remolachas                          (beetroots)

5 dl. vinagre de vino blanco          ( white wine vinager)

300 gr azucar                               (sugar)

2 cucharadas de sal                      (spoons o salt)

6 granos de piemienta negra         ( black pepper grains)

1 hoja de laurel                            ( laurel leaf)

1 cucharita de comino                   (teaspoon caraway)

In a skillet cover the beetroots with water ( don't peel and don't take away the stems, they will  loose colour)

and boil for 30-45 min, depends on the size,  cool under cold running water, and peel with your hands, it's easy but lots of strong colour will come out, no worry, it cleans easy.Then slice, when they are big, as mine where I divide in 2 before slicing.

The vinager and the other ingredients must boil for a couple of minutes, and then simmer for 5 min, then add the sliced root beets, let it boil again for another 2 or 3 min. 

Fill into sterilized glasses , first the root beets, then use a funnel for the bride, and close.

If you are going to use it within a fourtnight just keep in the fridge, i not put in the micro wave for 1 min. at max temperature to make vacuum. 

When  the food is filled hot in the jars, tighten the lid at once and put it up side down for 24 hours if you don't want  to micro wave, then it's ok for 2 months or so.

These are one of my favorits, roasted whole grain rolls, chevere, it melts a little on the hot rolls, ruccula and my  beetroots, I do the same with pate or cooked ham and mayonaise, like the good old open sandwich from Norway.

Now the temperature has gone down a little, I go for a walk for at least 1 hour every morning , it feels so good, and I'm waiting for my Pilates Classes to start next month.

I would love to have a comment  from anybody who likes this recipe.