Simple to make and easy to adapt, Lebanese turnip pickles are a wonderful compliment to almost any meal. Once you make these pickles at home, there’s no going back to store-bought. The pickling liquid (water, vinegar, and salt) turns ordinary turnip slices into these magenta beauties. Each crunchy bite make these unmistakable tangy pickles irresistible when tucked into a falafel or shawarma wrap, eaten on their own, or even alongside a turkey sandwich.

Pickled Turnips

by Julie Awad

2 Quarts

PREP

10 mins

COOK

5 mins

Ingredients

4 cups water

2 cups white vinegar

2 tablespoons coarse sea salt

2 sterilized jars (1 quart each)

6-8 medium size turnips, peeled and cut into strips

3 small beets, peeled and cut into strips

optional

garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

jalapeños, sliced

chili flakes

Method

Heat the water with vinegar and salt in a pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a slight boil and stir to dissolve the salt. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Arrange a mixture of the sliced turnips and beets in each jar. Pour the vinegar-salt brine liquid over the vegetables until they are completely covered. Seal the jars and set aside. Occasionally tip the jars over to distribute the pink color of the beet.

Over the next 7 days, the pickles will gradually become pinker until there’s very little difference in color between the turnip and the beet. After that, store them in the refrigerator up to a couple of months.

Variations

Add a few cloves of garlic, a jalapeño pepper, or a teaspoon of red chili flakes for more flavor.