Pickled Beets and Eggs, Egg Recipes, Beet Recipe

Pickled Beets and Eggs

This recipe and photo were shared with me by Karen Calanchini of Redding, California. Karen says that this is an old Portuguese recipe that her grandparents and mother used to make when fresh beets were in the garden. They took fresh beets from the garden and whatever amount they gathered they processed. There really is no actual recipe, as you use how many beets you have harvested.

Pickled Beets and Eggs

4 to 6 fresh beets
5 eggs
Canola or vegetable oil
Apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
Salt and pepper

To cook fresh beets: For tender, freshly picked beets - wash, rinse and drain until all traces of garden soil are removed. Use a small vegetable brush if needed. Cut off leaves and stems, leaving about 1 inch of the root end. Place beets in large heavy pan and cover with water. Bring just to a boil; reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and drain, reserving a little of the beet water. Once cooked, you can peel them; the skin of a cooked beet will slip right off. (However, it's wise to use a paper towel or wear gloves to keep the beet juice from staining your hands.) Then cut the beet in slices.

To cook hard-cooked eggs: To correctly cook the eggs, place them in a single layer in a pan with enough cold water to cover them completely. Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, cover tightly with a lid, and allow to remain in the water approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Then place under running, cold water to cool quickly; peel.

Place cooked beets and hard-cooked eggs into a large container with a lid. Add a little of the reserved beet water. Add canola oil or any vegetable oil (do not use olive oil as it will solidify when refrigerated). Add either apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar to taste (any favorite vinegar would work). Add salt and pepper. Shake container to coat the beets and eggs. Place in refrigerator. Stir each day to insure the eggs are evenly dyed with beet juice.

After about one (1) week, they are ready to eat. The eggs will have soaked up the red beet juice from the beets. When you slice them, you will see a layer of red, white, and yellow. So pretty!