RUSSIAN SALAD
One of the dishes i created was a Russian Salad, for some reason it was one of the many Tapas dishes that has always stayed in my memory. It did vary however on quality and it wasn't until recently that i read that it is indeed one of the more common dishes on offer. It is quite retro in style and became favourable during the war as a lot of the ingredients were available via the good old can.
I however highly recommend steering clear of the can and frozen mixed veg variety. Take a little care and prepare all your ingredients from scratch, the final result is far superior!
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| RUSSIAN SALAD |
ENSALADA RUSSIA – RUSSIAN SALAD
I found this retro classic salad often on my travels through Spain. It does involve a little preparation but it is delicious to eat and simple to serve!
Serves 4
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
100g green beans, topped and tailed, cut in half
500g waxy potato – van Rosa or Desiree, peeled and diced
1 small bunch of spring onions, trimmed
7 gherkins
2 red peppers
4 hard boiled eggs, shelled
2 Tbsp capers, drained
2 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
For the mayonnaise
3 egg yolks
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
350 ml light olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
4 tsp white wine vinegar
Method
First make the mayonnaise. Put the egg yolks into a large bowl or food processor with a pinch of salt, two turns of the pepper mill and mustard and whisk together. Start to add the olive oil very slowly, whisking continuously, until the mixture begins to thicken. Continue adding the olive oil, now in a thin stream, whisking all the time. Finally, whisk in the lemon juice and wine vinegar. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate until needed.
To prepare the salad, bring a medium size pot of salted water to the boil. Firstly add the carrots and cook until slightly crunchy, remove with a slotted spoon and refresh immediately under cold water. Then continue with the remaining vegetables cooking individually and refresh and drain and all the vegetables, set aside.
Slice the spring onions and gherkins into rounds. Cut the peppers into strips, roughly chop the hard-boiled egg.
Combine the par-boiled vegetables, spring onions, gherkins, peppers, eggs, capers and parsley in a large bowl and toss to mix. Add the mayonnaise and toss well to coat all the vegetables. Season the salad with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed. Serve with crusty bread.
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| RUSSIAN SALAD |