Spicy quick pickled beets and classic Pytt i Panna

Swedish for "pieces in a pan," pytt i panna is traditionally made with leftover meat and potatoes, very much like what we call hash here in America. The combination with these spicy pickled beets are a sure winner for every occasion. 

  • Pickled beets have long been a Scandinavian food staple. But these aren't your grandmother's pickled beets! Roasted rather than boiled and quick pickled in a spicy brine, these Spicy Quick Pickled Beets are a deliciously modern take on a very old fashioned recipe. The best part? This recipe is incredibly easy: Roasted beets (a completely hands-off cooking process) are immersed in a simple brine that comes together effortlessly. Let them sit for 30 minutes and they are ready.
    My Norwegian grandmother canned many batches of beets each fall so they might be enjoyed on their southwestern Minnesota farm through the cold winter months. These pickled beets were the only form of beets we ate when I was growing up, and to be honest, I was not a fan. My love for beets came later in life when I went to culinary school. I learned how to roast them in a hot oven, caramelizing their exterior and accentuating their earthy sweetness. I learned how to shred and sauté them in olive oil and fresh herbs, finishing them with a little tarragon vinegar. And since that first cooking class, over 20 years ago, I have also learned to eat them shredded and raw in salads and on sandwiches, juice them, puree them in smoothies and roast them whole. And I have loved beets in all of these forms. So why not pickled? I decided it was time to revisit them and create my own recipe. This is why it really works:
    - The beets are roasted rather than boiled prior to pickling. This method greatly improves the texture of the pickled beets: pleasantly firm and not at all mushy. And roasting is such an easy, hands-off method. Just drizzle the beets with olive oil and wrap them in foil. They practically cook themselves.
    - The brine contains a modest amount of sugar. Some recipes for pickled beets contain a lot of sugar. But because beets are so naturally sweet on their own, they really don't need much to enhance their subtle sweetness.
    - The recipe includes the right combination of spices. The ones I've chosen for my Spicy Quick Pickled Beets are some of the Scandinavian classics — bay leaf, peppercorns, all spice berries and juniper berries. The final and surprising addition of red pepper flakes is just the thing to make these pickled beets a real stand-out: traditionally spiced with just a hint of heat.
    - Quick pickling for the win! For my Spicy Quick Pickled Beets, I wanted an easy recipe I could throw together without it becoming a day-long production. Quick pickling provides that kind of ease and immediacy. No giant vats of boiling water, sterilizing of jars or worrying about whether you've managed to achieve a proper seal. The only drawback is that quick pickled beets are not designed for long-term storage. They are intended to be stored in the refrigerator and polished off within a couple weeks. But trust me, that won't be a problem.
    Kristi Bissell

  • Ingredients
    12-16 ounces small to medium-sized beets
    extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
    1 cup distilled white vinegar
    1 cup water
    1/4 cup sugar
    1 teaspoon fine salt
    5 allspice berries
    10 juniper berries
    10 peppercorns
    1 bay leaf
    1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes

  • Instructions
    - Preheat oven to 400°F. Scrub and trim beets. Place beets on a large piece of foil and drizzle them with olive oil. Using your hands, rub oil onto the surface of the beets. Fold foil over and seal the edges, making a pouch. Place pouch on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Roast beets for 45-60 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Smaller beets will take less time than larger ones.
    - Remove beets from oven and open pouch. Let cool before handling. When the beets are cool enough to work with, rub the skin off with a paper towel and slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Transfer to a quart sized mason jar.
    - Meanwhile, heat remaining ingredients over medium-low heat until simmering and sugar has dissolved. Pour mixture into the jar with the beets. Allow to cool at room temperature. Cover and place in the fridge. Consume beets within two weeks.

  • For more inspired Scandinavian cooking, check Kristi’s True North Kitchen blog which offers a sampling of recipes with a true Nordic feel. See www.true-north-kitchen.com

  • Expert tips
    - To check if your beets are tender, slide a small, sharp knife into the center of the beet. It should go and in and out easily with little resistance.
    - If you are having trouble using a paper towel to get the skin off the roasted beets, simply switch to a vegetable peeler. That works, too.
    - Be sure to let the beets sit in the brine for at least 30 minutes before enjoying. They need time to pick up all of the flavors of the spices, vinegar and sugar. Covering the beets and moving them to the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight is even better!
    - Eat within a couple weeks! These are not traditional, canned pickled beets so they don't have a shelf life like those do. They are meant to be enjoyed in the next 10-14 days.

  • Pytt i Panna
    Now that you have a batch of Spicy Pickled Beets in the fridge, what can you do with them (other than eat them straight from the jar)?  Scandinavians will serve them with a meat stew, with cold meat on rye bread or even with oven baked or boiled cod. However, pytt i panna is a great idea. Swedish for "pieces in a pan," pytt i panna is traditionally made with leftover meat and potatoes, very much like what we call hash here in America. At its heart, pytt i panna is a dish that honors resourcefulness and creativity, it's about using up the bits and pieces of whatever is languishing in the fridge and repurposing them into something delicious. This particular version is vegetarian, trading protein-rich chickpeas for the meat and including a little fresh spinach for brightness and green, earthy flavor. As far as I'm concerned, the fried egg and pickled beets are essential components of this dish. It would still be a tasty mix without them, but it is these ingredients that make this pytt i panna quintessentially Scandinavian.

  • Ingredients
    2 tablespoons olive or canola oil, divided
    1 onion finely diced
    2-3 garlic cloves minced
    1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    2 cups leftover boiled new potatoes cut into quarters
    1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
    2 cups packed baby spinach
    salt and freshly ground pepper
    2 eggs
    Spicy Pickled Beets chopped, for serving

  • Instructions
    - Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium-sized skillet (preferably nonstick or well seasoned cast iron) over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.
    - Add garlic and thyme, and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add butter. When it has melted, add potatoes. Cook until warmed through and beginning to brown, 3-4 minutes.
    - Add chickpeas and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Add spinach, in handfuls if necessary, and cook until wilted, another 2 minutes or so. Season everything to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
    - Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small to medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack eggs into the pan, season with salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. When the bottom of the eggs are set, carefully tip the pan and spoon some of the hot oil over the top of the eggs. Reduce heat to low and cover the pan. Cook until eggs are done to your liking, another 1 or 2 minutes if you like a runny yolk.
    - Serve the pytt i panna topped with a fried egg and the pickled beets.