Seasonal Ontario Food

There was a popular recipe for a pickle, relish or salad (it was described and classified as all three) throughout the 19th and well into the 20th century which was basically for the following. I've made it before, and canned it, thinking of it more as a pickle or relish than as a salad. However, there is no reason not to make it as a quick salad.

Traditionally, it was served with beef. I tend to like it with eggs. This time the eggs were devilled, but for a while it was a household tradition to have it on Saturday morning with poached eggs on toast.

It is a rather intensely flavoured salad, so I tend to eat it in fairly small portions. Leftovers will keep, covered in the fridge, for a week.

4 servings
15 minutes to assemble - 45 minutes to cook beet and marinating time


1 medium-large red beet
1 cup finely shredded red cabbage
2 tablespoons Sucanat or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper
1 tablespoon hot horseradish

Put the beet in a pot with water to cover and boil until tender; about 45 minutes.

Allow the beet to cool, then peel it (leave the stem end on to give you something to hang onto) then grate it. Mix it with the finely shredded cabbage. There should be rougly equal amounts of each.

Put the Sucanat, vinegar and salt in a small pot an heat until the Sucanat and salt dissolve. Mix in the horseradish, and toss this dressing into the beets and cabbage. Let the salad marinate for 2 hours to overnight before serving.





Last year at this time I made Stovetop Honey-Mustard Chicken.