Pickled Beets and Eggs

A few years ago, my cousin Carey convinced me to try something that I was seriously afraid of - beet pickled eggs. They look so scary...and at the time, I didn't like beets, either. But I gave it a try, and they were actually really good! I recently decided that I wanted to try making them for myself, with some beets that I picked up at the Farmers' Market. I found this post, and thought it looked easy enough, so I put it together today. I used red wine vinegar, and It'll be ready in a week. Stay tuned...

(Update: Here are the results! Rating added after the recipe below)



Pickled Beets and Eggs
What's Cooking America

This recipe and photo were shared with me by Karen Calanchini, Food Stylist and Photographer, of Redding, CA.

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.

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.

To Make Pickled Beets and Eggs:

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!

Pickled Eggs Safety:

Pickled eggs must be stored in the refrigerator for safety.

Be sure that the eggs are covered with the pickling solution during storage.

Pickled eggs should never be at room temperature except for serving time, when they should be limited to no more than two (2) hours in the temperature danger zone of 40 to 140 degrees F.

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars

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