Pickled Beetroot

 It's no secret that I have had a crush on the simple beetroot for the last twelve months. Its been a regular in the shopping trolley and consumed (almost) daily. I juice, I grate, I roast and last week, I pickled!

I used a recipe I found in my beloved Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery Book (Ireland's version of our Maggie Beer!). This recipe is simple and has the perfect balance of being both sweet and sour-  a perfect addition to the home made hamburger or a refreshing side dish to any summer meal!

Darina's Pickled Beetroot
450g Cooked beetroot (see below)
225g sugar
450ml water
225ml white wine vinegar

Dissolve the sugar in water and bring to the boil. Add the vinegar, and allow to simmer for a few more minutes. Steralise some jars. Place sliced or whole beets in jars, pour over the pickle juice and leave to cool. This recipe isn't designed to be kept away in the pantry for months- It needs to be stored in the fridge and eaten within a few weeks. The upside is, it's so delicious, it probably won't last that long anyway! (Makes approx one large jar)

To cook beetroot- Carefully wash off any dirt on outside of beets. Place in pot and cover with cold water. Add a sprinkle of salt and sugar and bring to boil. Leave simmering for 1-2 hours (depending on size of beets), or until you can put a skewer in them and it comes out easily. Drain, and allow to cool. Once cool, keep whole, or slice thinly.

4/52- Weekly Stills

1. Stealing a very quiet moment to sit down and read my new favourite mag- Renegade Collective- incredibly inspiring! Filled with stories of people who have turned their dreams into reality and the importance of never giving up on something you are passionate about.

2. Ive had a bit of a thing for beetroot this summer. Having eaten it boiled, roasted and freshly grated, I finally got around to pickling some….heavenly! Hellooooo…hamburgers!

3 & 4. Our eldest flower fairy (all frocked up) exploring in her grandparent's garden…her happy place!

5. Gorgeous Salvia 

6. Happy Australia Day…..the flower fairy is back!

7. Lamington Cake to celebrate Australia Day and our 5th year anniversary of getting engaged! What a great combo- freshly made sponge cake, jam, cream, chocolate icing and coconut sprinkled on top! Yum x

Guest Post- Leigh's Herb and Pancetta Poached Chicken

Today I am very lucky to have Leigh from ChitChatChomp as my first Guest blogger on Townmouse Countrymouse. ChitChatChomp is a lovely blog filled with delicious, french inspired recipes and the most gorgeous photos, that will leave you salivating and wishing Leigh lived at your home. Leigh's style of cooking is based on keeping it simple, using seasonal ingredients and giving it a french twist. Even if you're not into cooking, this blog is definitely still worth a visit for the visual feast your eyes will be treated too, the lovely french stories that go with each recipe and the other interesting travel pieces Leigh enjoys writing about. Leigh describes herself as "a Melbourne based Taurean, home cook, amateur photographer and a lover of all things french!"- I just love her style of cooking and am in love with her photography (definitely not amateur!!!).

I hope you enjoy Leigh's post as much as I have…..

Being someone who lives and breathes recipes and food, I'm often asked what my favourite type of food is to cook.  Funnily enough, it's not the easiest question for me to answer as it completely depends on the season, time of day and of course the biggest factor, my mood.

If it's a mid-week meal during Summer, I love nothing better than experimenting with salads, and at the moment it's the ones that contain lentils that have me drooling.

A lazy weekend on a cooler day, I can guarantee you that my oven will be on and something yummy and soothing will be inside bubbling away.

However, there seems to be a few common links that bring most of the food that I love to cook together:

1.  Simplicity

2.  Fresh, organic produce

3.  A tilt towards French flavours

Herb and Pancetta Poached Chicken

  

Oh la la!

Light enough for a Spring/Summer evening, yet hearty enough to satisfy anyone on a cooler night, rugged up under a blanket with a wine in hand.

A dish that also freezes and defrosts beautifully!

You asked me what I like to cook, well....voila!

Special thanks to Leigh for this lovely post.

All photos taken by Leigh.

These and many more can be found on ChitChatChomp.

Are you a lover of all things french???