Pickled Beetroot and Onion (or French Shallots)

My Scottish great (great?) grandfather Jock came out to Australia many years ago.  Not sure if he was a convict or not.  So I am predisposed to all things Scottish (I love me a bagpipe!).  And I really enjoy the videos and recipes from Ali Stoner aka the Roving Haggis, a fabulous Scottish cook, currently living in Melbourne. Can't wait till her new cookbook Scran comes out!

My best friend at high school had Scottish parents, who still kept their accents after many decades here.  Her mum introduced me to recipes like Clootie dumplings, a delicious dried-fruit pudding.  Not sure if it's Scottish, but my friend introduced me to Heinz baked beans on toast with grated cheese, under the grill till it melts.  So good!  

Hubby and I backpacked around Scotland way back.  We loved it!  And almost met Princess Di (told you it was way back).  I think the Queen was residing at Balmoral too when we were nearby.  And we had a gander at the little kirk (church) she used to attend when in Scotland.  Such a shame we didn't catch up with the Loch Ness monster.  I would love to go back!

I've made these three times recently!

Recipe by the Roving Haggis!

Makes 1 large jar:

ingredients:

400g./14 oz fresh beetroot

150g./5.3 oz sliced white (or red) onion  (or French shallot)

100 mL/3.4 oz apple cider vinegar

100 mL/3.4 oz malt vinegar

150 mL/5 oz water

120g./4 oz caster sugar

1 Tbs sea salt

1 bay leaf  (or 2)

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp juniper berries  (I used Tasmanian mountain pepperberries)

1 tsp mustard seeds

delicious vinegar

Method:

Boil the beetroots till tender, then cool, peel and cut into big chunks

Finely slice the onion (or French shallot)

Layer the beetroot chunks and the sliced onion into a large jar

Now place all the other ingredients - vinegars, water and spices - into a medium saucepan, and bring it to a simmer, till the sugar is dissolved

Let it cool for a few minutes, then pour into the jar with the veg. (and shove another bay leaf in, if you please)

Give the jar a rotation or two (make sure the lid is well closed), then in it goes to the fridge for a few days - so tasty, I just eat it straight out of the jar :=)

yep, it's a beetroot :)

Notes:

Okay, I confess - I bought vacuum-sealed, pre-cooked beetroots!

as that Canadian YouTuber always says: Use two, I'm not driving :=)

dissolve that sugar!

pour the brine mixture over the veg.

sealed and ready for the fridge

so pretty and so tangy!

I used a few pink peppercorns too

Chocolate and Coconut Biscuits

Anyone from the UK (and Australia) would be well aware of the lovely Davina McCall.  I have enjoyed watching her on Long Lost Family on the telly for years.  She has a number of cookbooks out, including Davina's Kitchen Favourites, from which this recipe comes.  She doesn't pretend that she devised or wrote the recipes, but she is front and centre throughout the book, displaying her lovely teeth (hehehe). 

The cover says sugar-free, but the recipes have lots (and lots!) of maple syrup and some honey, so still plenty of sweeteners here.  The cover also says 'no-fuss' which is true.  These are fairly simple and tasty recipes "to enjoy together".  I believe a child of hers is vegan so there are some vegan recipes in here too.

Speaking of vegan, I lived with various vegans and vegetarians in my student days, and I helped a mate write a vegan cookbook.  I must hunt it up, and see if there are any recipes I can make for the blog.  I seem to remember there was lots of tofu and soybeans!  And whatever happened to those tinned soybeans in tomato sauce you could buy back in the day? 

ready for the oven (yep, more chocolate)

Makes 30 biscuits:

ingredients:

200g./7 oz butter

175g./6.2 oz/135 mL of pure maple syrup

250g./9 oz plain flour (Davina says to use wholemeal spelt, but I ain't got that stuff here)

50g./1.8 oz cocoa powder

300g./10.5 oz dessicated coconut

2 tsp baking powder

a large pinch of sea salt

25g./1 oz dark chocolate, coarsely grated   see Notes

more chocolate on top before baking  (you choose how much)

icing sugar, for decoration after baking (I added more chocolate too)

use the good stuff

Method:

Throw the butter into a small saucepan and let it melt, then add the maple syrup - give it a good stir and let it cool down

Grab a large mixing bowl and add the flour, cocoa, coconut, baking powder, and salt - and give it a good stir with your whisk

Then pour in the cooled butter and maple syrup mixture, and you guessed it - stir really well! Looks like a bit of a hot mess for a bit, but it comes together into a thick dough

Now wrap in cling film or a clean plastic bag, and into the fridge to chill for half an hour or so (or more if you forget!)

Turn on your oven to 200C/390F to heat up

Grab 2 baking trays and line with baking paper  see Notes

Divide the dough into 30 pieces (I had two lumps of about 520g./18.4 oz, which I then divided into 35g./1.3 oz blobs of dough - yep, I did indeed weigh them out to make sure they were similar

Davina says to use a 6.5 cm/2.6 inch cookie cutter, but if you weigh the pieces, you can just shape the blobs into round-ish biscuits

Grate on more chocolate if you fancy then ...

Bake for 18-20 minutes till they go crisp around the edges (too dark to tell if they're browning hehehe ...)

Let 'em cool, and then cast on some icing sugar if you like and some extra bits of grated chocolate on top

These biscuits are NOT sweet in themselves, so guess what!  I melted some dark chocolate and poured it all over the tops, then put on heaps of 100s and 1000s too.  More chocolate is always more better :=)

make sure it's not expired :=)

Notes:

I used way more chocolate than that!  I added a Flake bar 30g./1 oz, and about 50g./1.8 oz chocolate bits to the dough

I divvied up my dough into 2 lumps, one for the freezer (after slicing into discs), and one to be baked - as 30 biscuits are a bit much for us!

I actually weighed them out, and then weighed each disc so I had the same size biscuits = each biscuit was about 35 grams

BTW, these are very coconutty, so don't make 'em unless you are a coconut fan

oops not Davina's spelt flour - oh well!

ingredients gathered

melt the butter and stir the dry ingredients

add in the chocolate

stir well to combine into a thick dough/mixture

divvy into two lumps if not baking all at once (each lump about 520g.)

spread 'em out on your tray(s)

ready for the oven @200C

mmm just slightly overdone? :=)

yep smother 'em in icing sugar - why not?

butter is better

In My Kitchen - July 2026

Phew, glad that June has left the building.  It has been a right stinker, let me tell you.  And crazily wet here in sunny Brisbane.  Normally winter is our dry season, but we've had heaps of rain over autumn and winter this year.  The backyard never seems to dry out.  And the local wildlife is a bit miserable about the whole thing :=)

(See below for the evidence.)  She stayed there all day, trying to sleep.  At one point, we heard this loud thud - the poor baby had fallen asleep and fell off the beam!  She came back a week later, to rest up for the day.  Thank heavens she was okay after her fall.  

Look at her poor bedraggled tail; she stayed there till dusk

(Oops, I've added this photo twice.  Never mind!  She's worth a second look, down below.)    

In My Kitchen:

there was more beetroot-pickling (thanks Roving Haggis for the recipe)

and crazy fermenting cabbage (thanks neighbour for doing the pounding)

and we had a poor bedraggled wee possum getting out of the rain (oops! again)

of course there was chocolate, and hot chocolate mix

and Greek citrus salt and olive oil with mandarins

more herbs and spices from Herbie's

delicious! Rhubarb - is she a fruit or a vegetable in your mind?

I bought another wee spoon! Carved from Tassie tiger myrtle, by Carol A. Russell

Emma Bridgewater ceramics from Mr P. (for my birthday)

a cookbook from the cuz!

the curveball! a gorgeous wooden scallop by John Woolrych

(Just a quick FYI: I will be having medical treatment in July most likely, so I will schedule a brief IMK post just in case I am not up for it later on.  So please do add your link in August!  It will cheer me up!)

c. Sherry M.

Be a part of our friendly IMK community by adding your post here too - everybody welcome!  We'd love to have you visit.  Tell us about your kitchen (and kitchen garden) happenings over the past month.  Dishes you've cooked, preserves you've made, herbs and veg. in your garden, kitchen gadgets, and goings-on.  And one curveball is welcome - whatever you fancy; no need to be kitchen-related.  

The link is open from the first of the month to midnight on the thirteenth of the month, every month.

Options for adding your post to IMK:

1. Add via the Add Link button at the bottom of this post.  Instructions can be found on the sidebar of this page, under the  Add your IMK link OR:

2. Comment on this post, providing a link to your post so I can add it manually to the list below OR:

3. Email me: sherrym1au@gmail.com, with your link or any queries about the link process, or if you would like it to be added after the 13th ('cos I'm happy to add it for you later)

Mae's Food Blog

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Lemon Amaretti Cream Pots

"And now for something completely different" - as they used to say on Monty Python.  I have been meaning to post this one for a bit.  And I thought we needed a sweet treat as a change-up to my recent posts.

This is a super simple recipe, and very delicious.  The wonderful Nigel Slater has this one in his book the kitchen diaries.  I love Nigel, and I really enjoy his TV cooking shows.  I made this recipe for Lambs' Ears Cookbook Club, as Nigel's book is our whole-year go-to this year.

getting ready to fold in all the delicious bits

Serves 6 (or less - hehehe):

ingredients:

300 mL/10 oz double/thickened cream

250g./9 oz Greek-style yoghurt (i.e. thick and plain)

280g./9.5 oz good quality lemon curd (homemade would be good)  see Notes

60g./2 oz mascarpone (optional)

100g./3.5 oz amaretti biscuits, bashed up till you have sandy bits and chunky bits and gravelly bits   see Notes

a handful of slivered almonds for serving (optional)

amaretti

Method:

Whip your cream till you have soft peaks, then fold in the yoghurt, lemon curd and mascarpone

Now take your bashed-up amaretti biscuit crumbs and chunks, and tip them into your cream mixture

Fold them gently in, and spoon into small dishes/ramekins

Into the fridge for a few hours, then serve with small biscuits (maybe more amaretti?)

And add the slivered almonds, if using

Notes:

I ended up using 350g. of lemon curd!  So sue me; I like it :=)  And 190g. of amaretti

ingredients gathered

looking good

yes quite delicious

and I threw in some mini nocciola (hazelnut) wafer rolls

and here's some yoghurt

(Oh, did I mention it's my birthday on the 23rd?  Today as this is posted.  Heading out to Bookclub tonight at our local bookshop The Quick Brown Fox; we are reading The Nocturnals by Frances Whiting, a local writer and journalist.  And she will be there!!)

Thai Chicken - Retro-style!

Oh my word, friends!  This is one heck of a retro recipe!  And I love it - such fun:=)  Here is a recipe from one of my fave authors Roald Dahl; he and his wife Felicity (Flick) put together a cookbook called Memories with Food At Gipsy House, published in 1991.  It clearly has a 1980s vibe though!  I remember making "coconut milk" this way, by soaking dessicated coconut in boiling water.  Crikey, this sounds like something from the Ark :=)  Well, it makes me sound like a deckhand from the Ark.

I may have mentioned my story before, about making several different types of curry, and lugging the big pots to a local park (back in our younger days).  We invited heaps of friends, and had "Curry in a Hurry" in the park's rotunda.  Luckily, the local police were understanding of our madness :=)  

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention a fave recipe from this book - Rose Petal Sorbet.  I used to "borrow" lots of rose petals from the old couple next door's garden, to make it!  Yep I was a naughty gal back then!  He was Dutch and had fought in the Second World War, and she was the daughter of the fellow who owned the local stables waaay back in the day (I'm thinking turn of the century).  We still had the old horse troughs buried in our yard (we shared a boundary line with them).  And mysteriously, our backyard was (very) full of ashes - perhaps the dead horses? :=)

        

throw on that coriander

Marinate this overnight, folks (or at least 8 hours)!

Serves 6:

ingredients:

Marinade:

6 Tbs dark soy sauce

2 Tbs ground cummin

3 Tbs hot Madras curry powder

1 Tbs turmeric

3 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped finely

4 Tbs sweet chilli sauce

3 sticks lemongrass (or use 3 tsp of lemongrass paste from a tube!)

150 mL/5 fl oz oil (I used olive oil, but use a neutral oil like grapeseed if you please)

1.6 kg/3.5 lb chicken breasts, chopped or (large) diced   see Notes

The Sauce:

5 Tbs crunchy peanut butter

85g./3 oz dessicated or shredded (unsweetened) coconut, soaked in 180 mL/6 fl oz boiling water

1 bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped or torn (by hand)

Garnish:

230g./8 oz bean sprouts (who cares?  No need to measure these)

more coriander leaves, if you wish

guess?!

Method:

Grab a large non-reactive bowl (glass or ceramic), and throw in the marinade ingredients

Give it a good stir, and then add the chopped chicken pieces - and let it marinate overnight (I forgot and only gave it 9 hours the next day - in fact, I'd suggest if you buy the already-chopped chook, the shorter marination time is fine and dandy)

The next day, in a large and heavy-based frypan, saucepan or skillet, cook up the chicken pieces till they turn opaque, then add the peanut butter and the coconut and soaking water

Cover and simmer very slowly for 15-20 minutes till the chicken is tender, then add some of the coriander leaves

Serve with rice or rice noodles, and add plenty of the bean sprouts and more coriander leaves

add plenty!

Notes:

I wish they had given a weight for the chicken!  I looked it up, and Google says a chicken breast can be anything from 170g.-250g.  I just based it on 200g./7 oz per breast; the recipe says to use 8 breasts

I bought diced chicken breast that is already chopped into large chunks - saved so much time and mess :=)

My (and Mr P.'s) suggestion is to add less chicken, but bung in some eggplant and capsicum - it was a bit too meaty for us

Also I reckon a good big slurp of tinned coconut milk at the end would be a splendid thing!  And probably some chilli flakes (I only had a mild Madras curry powder, so extra chilli was needed)

lemongrass stalks

(most of the) ingredients gathered 

the marinade

chuck in the chook!

some more ingredients

9 hours later - I started cooking ...

and in go the peanut butter and coconut

and on goes the coriander

add the bean sprouts to your bowl

Mr P. bought me this one - mm yep just a few years ago :=)

(Joining in with Jo from BKD Cookbook Club for her monthly link-up!  This month we are focusing on an "oldie but a goodie" cookbook in our collections.)