Pickled Beets with Walnut Sauce
Kitchen Tested 
- Yield 4 servings
Cooked in a water and vinegar bath and tossed with a walnut sauce, these beets will steal the show.
You can use 2 cups diced or sliced drained canned beets as an alternative to fresh for this recipe if you prefer.
Ingredients
- Boiled Beets:
- 1 pound fresh beets (3 medium size), ends trimmed, skin on, washed well
- -- Water
- 3 -- bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- -- Salt, to taste
- Walnut Sauce:
- 1/2 cup shelled walnuts
- 2 -- garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 to 4 tablespoons cooking liquid from beets
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- -- Salt and freshly ground black pepepr
- Garnish:
- 4 -- Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves, optional
- -- Red onion rings, optional
Instructions
- To make beets: Place beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Add bay leaves, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil and cook 40 to 45 minutes until tender, adding more water if needed. Stick a knife in beets to see if they are tender. Remove from cooking liquid when tender, reserving about 1/4 cup cooking liquid; plunge beets into cold water to stop cooking.
- Drain beets and rub skins off; dice into 1/2-inch cubes. Place beets in a bowl.
- To make sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender or a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process or puree until smooth. Add sauce to beets and toss to combine. Chill 20 minutes.
- To garnish: Serve beets alone or over Bibb or Boston lettuce garnished with thin-sliced red onion rings, if desired.
