Thursday 2 May 2013

ENSALADILLA ("RUSSIAN SALAD") + HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED | MAY MENU


WIKI NOTE: Olivier salad is a traditional salad dish in Russian cuisine, which is also popular in many other European countries, Iran, Israel, Mongolia, and throughout Latin America. In many countries, the dish is commonly referred to as "Russian salad".

The original version of the salad was invented in the 1860s by a Russian chef of Belgian origin, Lucien Olivier, the chef of the Hermitage, one of Moscow's most celebrated restaurants. Olivier's salad quickly became immensely popular with Hermitage regulars, and became the restaurant's signature dish. The exact recipe, particularly that of the dressing, was a jealously guarded secret. The original Olivier dressing was a type of mayonnaise, made with French wine vinegar, mustard, and Provençal olive oil; its exact recipe, however, remains unknown.

At the turn of the 20th century, one of Olivier's sous-chefs, Ivan Ivanov, attempted to steal the recipe. While preparing the dressing one evening in solitude, as was his custom, Olivier was suddenly called away on some emergency. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ivanov sneaked into Olivier's private kitchen and observed his mise en place, which allowed him to make reasonable assumptions about the recipe of Olivier's famed dressing. Ivanov then left Olivier's employ and went to work as a chef for Moskva, a somewhat inferior restaurant, where he began to serve a suspiciously similar salad under the name "Capital Salad,". It was reported by the gourmands of the time, however, that the dressing on the Stolichny salad was of a lower quality than Olivier's, meaning that it was "missing something."

Later, Ivanov sold the recipe for the salad to various publishing houses, which further contributed to its popularization. Due to the closure of the Hermitage restaurant in 1905, and the Olivier family's subsequent departure from Russia, the salad could now be referred to as "Olivier." 

ENSALADILLA ("RUSSIAN SALAD") 

YOU WILL NEED:  *vegan recipe
3 or 4 medium potatoes (approx. 450g)
4 carrots
2 eggs /*small can of sweet corn or 2 cubed small apples
A tin of pitted green olives (approx. 180g)
3 tablespoons of peas
2 small cans of tuna chunks (2 x 160g) /*grated raw beetroot
4 tablespoons of mayonnaise /*egg-free mayonnaise
NOTE: homemade mayonnaise, check the recipe below
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
A bunch of fresh parsley (optional)
NOTE: There are tons of different recipes for Russian salad in Spain. Every house has its own recipe! It´s time to cook your own recipe!

LET´S COOK!
1. Wash all the vegetables well. Peel the carrots.
2. Put the carrots and potatoes into a pot. Cover with cold water bring to boil and simmer the vegetables for approx. 25 minutes. When the veggies are tender, turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat. Strain the vegetables.
3. Put the eggs into a small pot and wash your hands. Cover with cold water bring to boil and simmer the eggs for approx. 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat. Strain the eggs. Peel and chop the eggs.
4. Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes. Chop the carrots into small cubes. Put carrots and potatoes in a big bowl. Add green olives, tuna chunks, and peas. Mix everything with a wooden spoon.
5. Add several tablespoons of mayonnaise, and mix everything with a wooden spoon until it forms a creamy texture. Add salt and black pepper, to taste.
6. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it in the fridge. The Russian salad should be served cold.

  • LET´S MAKE SOME TAPAS!
1. Fill the silicone cupcake wrappers with the "Russian salad". Use a spoon, start in the middle of the cupcake, and spread the mayonnaise evenly over the top. The icing is done with mayonnaise.
2. Sprinkle the top of the "Russian salad" tapa with chopped parsley. Put on the peak an olive or a tomato cherry.
NOTE: The cupcake silicone container is a perfect unit for a kid.


HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE / +VEGAN RECIPE: EGG-FREE MAYONNAISE
YOU WILL NEED: *vegan recipe
1 cup of vegetable oil: sunflower and/or Virgen extra olive (approx. 1/4l)
1 egg or 1/2 cup of milk /*soya milk temperature
A dash of vinegar or lemon juice
A pinch of salt

LET´S COOK!

1. EGG: Break the eggshell and pour the content into the measuring cup of the blender. Wash your hands. Add salt and pour a dash of vegetable oil.
NOTE: You have to wash the hands and kitchen tools, when they are in contact with the eggshell. There are many bacteria in the eggshell.
1. EGGLESS: Put the milk into the measuring cup of the blender. Incline the measuring cup and add a dash of vegetable oil through the side of the measuring cup and it will float on the milk. Add the salt.
2. Mix the ingredients without moving the blender from the bottom of the measuring cup and add several dashs of vegetable oil until emulsified.
3. When the mayonnaise is getting a thick texture at the bottom of the measuring cup, start to make slow up and down movements until smooth sauce texture.
4. Add a dash of lemon juice/vinegar (to taste) when the mayonnaise is getting thick, beat strongly for a while.
5. Refrigerate until ready to consume.
NOTE:
Homemade mayonnaise must be consumed on a day.

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