sidedish: Pickled Beets

“I make a bunch and always keep some in the fridge ’cause the kids just love them with a grilled cheese,” Chris defends with her warm, wide smile as she hands me a Tupperware of the gorgeous red roots. A former grammar school teacher and the wife of a retired doctor, Chris Dermody embodies the laid back sophistication common to those who’ve spent their life very north of The City in Upstate New York. She seems equal in place schmoozing the room at a cocktail party, toiling over The Times crossword, or whipping up a potato salad for a lunch lakeside with her grandkids.

Totally addictive, these beets are a cinch to prepare and their bright acidity is an especially good foil to rich dishes. Chris first served them to me aside a killer Turkey Tetrazzini. Don’t let the simplicity of this recipe fool you. The “Pickling Spices,” easily found in the spice aisle of the supermarket (love the McCormick version), is an exotic mix of bay leaves, cloves, mustard seeds, peppercorns, coriander, cinnamon, and cardamom (among others.) Masterfully blended, they really do provide an intriguing and layered depth of flavor. Using canned beets is a great example of Chris’s no-nonsense approach to food. When I pressed her about subbing in the fresh veg, she scoffed “do you really want red fingers for a week?”

 

Pickled Beets

3 15-ounce cans “Cut” beets, drained

1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon “Pickling Spices”

1 cup sugar

1 cup distilled white vinegar

 

Place the beets in a 2-quart container with a tight-fitting lid. Add the onions and “Pickling Spices.”

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil. Continue to boil for one minute until all sugar is dissolved.

Pour the hot vinegar-sugar mixture over the beets. Allow to sit, uncovered for 15 minutes to allow some steam to escape. Cover tightly and put in the fridge for at least three days.