Beets are a vegetable that is not only healthy, but also accessible to almost everyone. But, unfortunately, beet dishes on our table do not differ in variety. Of course, among the abundance of vegetables available all year round, we think of this humble root vegetable most often when we prepare borscht or the popular “herring under a fur coat.” Many people have forgotten that beet salads are very tasty and benefit the body.
Beets contain many useful substances; they help improve digestion and are a general tonic. Anyone who consumes a lot of beets reduces the risk of heart disease and even cancer. And the folic acid contained in this root vegetable will help preserve youth.
It is not at all necessary to constantly use fresh fruits; you can prepare a beet salad for the winter, which is no worse in taste and healthy qualities.
The uniqueness of beet salads
Beetroot salads prepared for future use are truly unique. The fact is that after heat treatment, this modest root vegetable retains all its useful components, and they are absorbed better by the body.
Salads packaged in jars are very convenient to use - you open the jar and the appetizing vitamin dish is ready to eat. There are many options for preparation - beets are pickled, stewed, combined with various vegetables and even apples.
Winter preparations from this vegetable are perfect both for the home table and for a festive feast.
The fact that beets go well with different products allows you to make preparations strictly according to recipes, and create different options yourself.
There are a lot of recipes for winter treats made from beets. Every housewife should have a supply of beet salads in her pantry for the winter in order to delight her family and guests with vitamin preparations.
Red beet salad "Alenka" for the winter
This appetizer with the beautiful Russian name “Alenka” will definitely please all members of your family. A sweet and sour dish with a rich ruby color and notes of hot pepper and garlic is ideal for any first and second courses.
So what ingredients do we need to make red beet salad for the winter? Recipes for such snacks involve using only fresh vegetables purchased at the market. To prepare a preparation called “Alenka” you must have the following products:
- large beets – 4 kg;
- sweet fleshy tomatoes – 1.5 kg;
- yellow or green bell pepper – 0.6 kg;
- large onion – 0.5 kg;
- juicy carrots – 0.5 kg;
- large garlic cloves – about 200 g;
- refined sunflower oil – about 1 cup;
- vinegar 9% - approximately 100-120 ml;
- beet sugar – about 200 g (to your taste);
- table salt – approximately 60 g (to your taste);
- chilli pepper - 1 small pod.
Interesting fact
One of the simplest versions of beet salad could be found on store shelves a couple of decades ago. It was called “Garnished Beetroot”.
The beets were chopped into large strips, the dressing had a sweet and sour taste. The preparation was delicious and really made an excellent side dish.
When served, the salad was usually seasoned with mayonnaise or sour cream sauce. The same preparation could be used for preparing borscht, as well as as an independent dish during fasting or as a dietary food.
Pickled beets for the winter
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Preparing beets for salads
- The beets should have a smooth surface. The size of the root crop does not matter. But you have to taste it. Unleavened beets or a vegetable with a not very pleasant, sometimes slightly salty taste will not work.
- Preparing beet salad will take quite a long time. Most often, beets are boiled, which takes a lot of time. And it will take no less time to marinate fresh ones.
- To make salads, beets can be baked. To do this, rinse it well, wrap it in foil and place it in the oven. Approximate baking time is 40-50 minutes.
- Raw beets are well washed, peeled and grated.
Basic recipe for beet salad for the winter
- Three kilograms of beets are thoroughly washed and set to boil. If the fruits are large, you can cut them into two or four parts.
- Approximate cooking time is an hour. Readiness is determined by piercing; if the knife penetrates gently, then there is no need to cook anymore.
- The beets are removed, cooled and peeled.
- The broth is filtered and left to cool.
- The peeled fruits are cut into bars or cubes and placed in jars.
- While the root vegetable is cooking, you can prepare the jars. It is better to take containers up to a liter in volume. The dishes are sterilized within 20 minutes.
- Preparing the salad dressing. Add two teaspoons of sugar, one salt and four table vinegar (9%) to the cooled broth. You can add seasonings at your discretion. Suitable spices include pepper or bay leaf.
- The jars are filled with hot marinade and sealed.
For your information! Vinegar should be added after the marinade has boiled.
You can use baked fruits for the salad.
If you use raw beets, then jars filled with salad should be sterilized for half an hour in boiling water, only then rolled up.
Tricks for preparing a healthy and tasty beet salad
- After boiling, hot beets can be placed in cold water, then they will be much easier to clean.
- Young beets cook faster.
- It is better to prepare salads for the winter from young root vegetables.
- When boiling and baking beets, do not remove the skin from them - this way they will retain more useful substances.
- In an electric oven, vegetables are baked faster.
- Jars with salads do not need to be sterilized if boiled beets are used in the salad.
- Instead of vinegar, apples (sour varieties) or tomatoes are suitable for preservation.
Seaming process
As soon as the red beet salad for the winter is ready, add a little table vinegar to it and boil for about three more minutes. After time, the vegetable mass is distributed into sterilized jars and sealed with lids.
Finally, all filled containers are turned upside down, covered with a thick blanket and left in a warm room for a day. After this time, the salad with beans, prepared for the winter, is put into the cellar.
Cans of tasty and aromatic snacks should only be opened after 3-6 weeks. During this time, the beet stock will be saturated with the aromas of all vegetables and spices, and will become tender and juicy.
It should be noted that such a product can be served as a salad, and used to prepare various dishes, including borscht.
Interesting beet salad recipes
Salad "Vitaminka"
You will need 3 kg of beets, 2 kg of sour apples. The recipe also contains 1 kg of carrots.
- The beets are boiled or baked until half cooked, then peeled.
- Grate all ingredients on a coarse grater, stir and cook in three glasses of water, to which first add 250 ml of oil (vegetable) and six tablespoons of salt. Time – 30 minutes.
- Roll up into previously sterilized jars.
Salad "Kaleidoscope"
You will need a kilogram:
- beets and carrots – raw, grate;
- cauliflower - sort into inflorescences;
- tomatoes - cut into cubes;
- pepper (sweet) – chopped into small strips.
Spices:
- salt and sugar - about three tablespoons each;
- one tablespoon each of vinegar and vegetable oil;
- garlic 250 g – chopped;
- pepper - to taste.
Vegetables and spices are mixed (without vinegar), simmered for half an hour, then vinegar is added. You need to simmer for about ten more minutes. Then the salad is placed in prepared jars.
Cabbage can be replaced with zucchini or eggplant, pepper with green beans.
Delicious pickled beets quickly, beautifully – and with tricks
For ruby borscht with sourness, for a vinaigrette with a sparkle, as an appetizer for a steamy glass, or for a fitness sandwich – there are many more reasons to prepare quick pickled beets. No less than recipes. The most successful, tasty and simple - three basic cooking methods, three most delicious options.
Pickled beets are incredibly fast: ready in 1 day
Let's start with an ultra-quick preparation of pickled beets. It is prepared simply, without sterilization, preservation and even without boiling - we pickle raw beets.
Instant pickled beets, the first recipe is the fastest. It's uniquely delicious.
Ingredients:
- Beetroot 500 g;
- Vinegar 50-70 ml;
- Salt 1/2 tbsp;
- Mustard 1 tsp;
- Water 250-300 ml;
- Honey 1 tsp. (or 2 tsp sugar).
You can add spices - freshly ground coriander and thyme, cloves, black pepper and even cinnamon - but in small portions. A spicy aroma is always appropriate in beet soup or borscht, but a classic instant recipe is appropriate everywhere.
1. Peel the beets and grate them into thin strips - you can use a vegetable cutter called a Korean grater.
2. Prepare the marinade: mix vinegar with mustard, salt and honey - carefully with salt if using regular ready-made mustard.
3. Pour the marinade over the slices, mix, and leave in a warm place for 1 hour. Then into the refrigerator, where the ingredients finally mix and merge into one incredibly delicious aroma.
You can check it after an hour - the dish is ready. The beets will fully develop their flavor and be soaked in the marinade the next day; after 10-12 hours, it’s time to serve it. As an appetizer, side dish, on a sandwich – it’s simply delicious.
Pickled beets quickly - ready in 3 days
The second fastest recipe, but not the second in taste - the first among beets chopped into appetizing slices. The beauty is ready in three days: juicy, sweet and sour – not like an apple, but with an appetizing crunch.
Or it doesn’t crunch – it all depends on the taste and how much you decide to boil it. That’s right - it needs to be brought to a state of al dente - that’s what we’ll call half-ready.
Ingredients:
- Beetroot 1 kg;
- Garlic 1 large head;
- Hot pepper 1 pc.
For the marinade:
- Water 600 ml;
- Vinegar 9% 50-70 g;
- Salt 2 tbsp;
- Sugar 3 tbsp.
Pickled beets in slices and pieces, quick preparation: recipe, photo and video.
1. Wash the beets and boil them whole until half cooked.
2. Remove when ready, cool.
Trick No. 1 To preserve the aroma and crispy texture, and to remove the skin in one motion, immediately lower them from boiling water into cold water. The temperature difference will maintain juiciness, and the peel will be removed in a neat shred.
The peeled beets themselves will remain smooth, glossy and shining.
3. Cut into portions, not too small: they will give a good part of the juice and taste to the marinade. Peel the garlic.
Trick number 2. How to quickly peel a lot of garlic? Simple: just add water. Before heat treatment, pour hot water for 15-30 minutes, or boiling water - after half an hour the peel will separate, just pry it off with a knife.
You need a true garlic spirit - pour cold water for a period of 1 hour to a day in large volumes. After a few hours, the garlic peel can be removed without a knife - just unwrap and release the garlic.
4. Immerse salt and sugar in boiling water and mix. Vinegar is after switching off: heat treatment deprives it of some of its properties. Cool the marinade completely to room temperature.
Trick No. 3 For a successful marinade, for the ideal ratio of components, just try it. Focus not on the recipe, but on the taste: everyone has different tastes.
5. Place beet slices into pre-sterilized jars, randomly placing garlic cloves.
6. Pour in the marinade, cover with nylon or tin lids for canning. It is better not to use twisted plastic ones: they exclude air access, which is not entirely good: with this method of marinating it is necessary.
7. The beets will be pickled in the refrigerator. At t about +4...+6 °C - its place is on the bottom shelf. Or in a cold cellar - there it will cook just as well.
When are pickled beets ready? After 2-3 days and up to five days - depends on the size of the slices. How long do pickled beets last, and how to store them? Just in the refrigerator, with the same lid. Storage time is about 3-4 weeks.
