This article was originally published by The Mennonite

April recipe: Pickled eggs and beets

The Hungry Hounds is the food blog of Paul and Rebecca Shetler Fast, country representatives for Mennonite Central Committee in Haiti. Learn more about MCC Haiti at their blog, www.haitimcc.org.

Rebecca loves pickles: pickled onionspickled vegetablesHaitian style pickled cabbagesauerkraut with juniper and carawayred cabbage sauerkraut with apples and cloves and of course dill pickles. Whether by nature or nurture, our 2-year old, Madeline, is developing the same taste. Our current strategy of getting her to eat veggies is to make them sour. This weekend, with piles of fresh beets and local eggs from the market, I remembered an old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch classic from my grandparent’s generation: pickled eggs and beets. I adapted this recipe from a few of our old Pennsylvania Dutch/Amish cookbooks – yes, we brought them with us to Haiti – reducing the sugar significantly and boosting the spices and vinegar. The resulting magenta pickles are sublime, and super easy to make. Our fridge version of pickled eggs and beets will keep for at least two weeks, and works beautifully as a side, a quirky topping to salads, on toast, in a grain bowl or as a toddler snack (well, at least for our funny girl). Happy pink pickling!

Yield: 2 pint canning jars

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cider vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon whole peppercorns
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled, left whole
  • 2 cups cooked beets, peeled, cut into bite sized pieces

Steps:

  1. In a medium saucepan combine all pickling brine ingredients (vinegar, water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and bay leaves). Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and discard it.
  2. Gently pack the prepared hard-boiled eggs and beets into two clean pint-sized canning jars, making sure to divide the eggs and beets somewhat evenly.
  3. Carefully pour the hot pickling brine over the eggs and beats, covering them completely with the brine. You will have some extra pickling brine, which can be discarded. Seal the jars with canning lids, cool and refrigerate. Refrigerate for at least one day before eating. These pickles will keep in the fridge for at least two weeks, with the color deepening on the eggs as they sit. Serve as a side dish, on salads or as a stand-alone snack.

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