Pickled turnips

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An unusual and colourful pickle, commonly found in Lebanese and Turkish cuisine.

Ingredients

• 1 kg baby turnips, washed, topped, tailed - peeled and quartered if larger
• 1 raw beetroot, washed, peeled and sliced - this gives the lovely colour
• 400 ml red wine vinegar
• 1 litre water
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon allspice berries
• 1 bulb of garlic - broken into cloves, trimmed and peeled but left whole
• 3 to 5 tablespoons of sea salt
• Sugar to taste

Mise en place

• Plunge the washed and trimmed roots into boiling water for a 30 seconds just to ensure they are really clean - pat dry.

Sterilise the pickling jar

Method

1. Add the water, vinegar, peppercorns and allspice and half of the salt to a large pan, heat and dissolve the salt.
2. Tinker with the mixture by adding more salt, sugar or vinegar until it is to your taste.
3. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
4. Layer the sterilised jar with turnips, beetroot slices and garlic.
5. Completely cover with vinegar and seal the lid.
6. The pickled turnips should be ready in 1 week.
7. Store in the refrigerator once opened - they should keep for about 1 month.

Variations

For a really luxurious pickle, use sherry vinegar.