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Beetroot Pickle with Plum, Labneh & Pistachio

Pickle salads are salads! A very purple pickle situation involving roasted pickled beetroot that’s steeped overnight with cumin seeds, nigella and white peppercorns. If you can’t find pomegranate infused white balsamic, don’t fret as regular red wine vinegar will do just fine. These babies are great to have on hand in the fridge, but become something gorgeous when paired with fresh plum, crushed pistachio and basil, that’s plonked on top of a bed of creamy labneh and finished with plenty of olive oil and flakey salt. Although it may take a little longer, prepping your pickles a day in advance is most certainly worth it – serve it as a date-night starter or side dish, mopping it up with some fresh fluffy sourdough if you wish. I solemnly swear this is not an excuse for me to eat a whole plate of pickles.

Lunch

Dinner

A Little Longer

Serves 2-4

Prep Time 1 day Mins

Cook Time Mins

Ingredients

Method

½ cup full fat labneh
1 large plum, sliced 1 cm thick
⅓ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Flakey salt
Handful fresh basil leaves

Beetroot Pickle

3 large beetroots, stems removed
1 red onion, cut into eighths
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
¼ cup pomegranate white balsamic vinegar (or red wine/sherry vinegar)
¼ cup white sugar
⅛ cup table salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon white peppercorns

Method

1
Prepare the beetroot pickle a day in advance - preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and wrap each beetroot in aluminium foil. Place onto a baking tray and into the oven to roast for 60 minutes or until tender.
2
Remove from the foil and carefully peel away the outer skin of each beetroot using a knife. Slice the beetroot into eighths, then place into a large sterile glass airtight container / jar along with the red onion, cumin seeds, nigella seeds and peppercorns.
3
Make the pickle brine - combine the white vinegar, water, pomegranate vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Gently bring up to a low boil, whisking until everything has dissolved. Remove from heat and pour over the beetroot. Allow the pickle solution to fully cool before sealing and placing into the refrigerator overnight.
4
The next day, assemble the salad when ready to eat - smear a thick layer of labneh over the base of a flat platter and top with about 2 cups of the beetroot pickle. Next, add the slices of plum and scatter over the chopped pistachio. Finish the salad with a drizzle of olive oil, some fresh basil and flakey salt. Serve immediately.