Russian salad

Is it possible to imagine a festive table without salad? Especially if it's a New Year's Eve? If you want to prepare a dish that is guaranteed to be very popular among guests, make Olivier - a classic salad, the recipe of which can be interesting and original to complement.

Yesterday and today, the legendary salad

Olivier’s birth of the salad is due to the French restaurateur Lucien Olivier, who founded the Hermitage in Moscow in the 19th century. The Frenchman paid due attention not only to the taste of dishes, but also to the refined table setting. So the salad, as the author intended, looked like this: small pieces of roasted grouse fillet and young partridges were located in the center of the plate, fillet of crayfish necks, pressed caviar and thin boiled tongue of boiled tongue (mainly calf) were laid out on either side. A mixture of diced potatoes, chicken eggs and small pickled cucumbers completed the entire composition. And this grandeur was poured with a sauce called "Provence", which was also invented by Monsieur Olivier. How surprised the owner of the Hermitage was when he saw that visitors enjoyed eating his culinary delicacy ... mixing everything into one mess!

Another key period for salad recipes was the 30s of the last century. The cook of the institution "Moscow" by the name of Ivanov began to add game to the dish. It was this option that became the basis for Stolichny salad, the version of which is popularly called Olivier.

Why do we love him so much today? Of course, for the tradition. In the glorification of the salad, an important role was played by Soviet cinema. If in the picture there is a scene with a feast, then you can be sure that there will always be an Olivier. But our sympathies have a purely practical justification:

• almost all the "basic" ingredients are always on hand (potatoes, eggs, sausage or chicken);
• cooking takes little time;
• you can add new ingredients, and the taste does not deteriorate (for example, along with pickled cucumbers, you can cut fresh, salted or add not only canned green peas, but also corn);
• if there is an Olivier on the table, you should not worry that someone will remain hungry: the dish is not only very tasty, but also satisfying.

This salad "Olivier": a classic recipe

To appreciate the delicate taste of the refined gourmets of the 19th century, you should try to prepare the original version of the salad, which has a completely different appearance today.

Ingredients:

• 1 hazel grouse (fillet);
• 1 tbsp. Madeira;
• 50 g canned olives;
• 100 g of champignons (fresh);
• 12 pcs of boiled crayfish;
• 1 calf language;
• 4 chicken eggs (hard boiled)
• 50 g of black caviar (need pressed);
• 150 g gherkins (pickled);
• 1 cucumber (fresh);
• 70 g of small capers;
• 150 g of lettuce leaves;
• 250 g of olive oil;
• 1 tsp. table vinegar;
• French mustard (to taste);
• dry herbs for seasoning (to taste).

Cooking:

1. We start with the preparation of the language. Boil it in filtered water for about 2.5 hours.
2. Clean and put in broth again.
3. Next, proceed to grouse. Fry the game in olive oil for about 5 minutes.
4. Boil water in a saucepan, pour in Madeira.
5. Clean the champignons, cut them in half and fall asleep in the water.
6. Fried grouse lay in broth, cook for 30 minutes.
7. Separate the meat from the bones until the birds are cold.
8. The next stage is raki. They need to boil in broth with the addition of dry herbs.
9. Getting to spawn. Cut it into small cubes.
10. Cooking salad ingredients. Clean the cucumber and cut it into cubes.
11. Cut eggs into small squares and capers.
12. Meat components (tongue and poultry) also cut into cubes.
13. Separate cancer necks.
14. Lettuce leaves tear hands into small pieces.
15. We do gas station. Beat 1 boiled yolk, adding oil to it.
16. In the resulting mass put mustard to taste and pour vinegar.
17. Mix the ingredients of the salad and dressing sauce - that's it!

The French recipe for a classic Russian salad is a pleasure for a special occasion. It is unlikely that someone will indulge himself with them every day, but you can enjoy such tasty foods at least a couple of times a year.

Traditional recipe with meat

For the classic recipe of the usual Olivier, game is used as a meat base. But if grouse cannot be obtained, then other types of meat can be used, for example, beef.

Ingredients:

• 300 g of beef (boiled flesh);
• 3 medium potatoes;
• 1 large carrot;
• 3 chicken eggs;
• 3 pieces of pickled cucumbers;
• 150 grams of canned green peas;
• ½ tbsp. mayonnaise;
• ½ tbsp. greasy sour cream;
• salt, pepper.

Cooking:

1. Boil beef until cooked (about 2 hours)
2. Cut the meat into small cubes.
   
3. Boil potatoes and carrots in their skins in salted water. Give cool and cut into cubes.
4. Cook hard-boiled eggs, also cut into squares.
5. Cut cucumbers.
6. We put all the products in a bowl, mix. Fall asleep peas.
7. Mix in a separate container mayonnaise and sour cream
8. Add the sauce to the salad. Cool for about 20 minutes. The dish is ready.

Cooking option with chicken

To get closer to the original version of cooking salad, you can use chicken as a base.

Ingredients:

• 1 breast (or chicken fillet);
• 5 pcs potatoes (larger);
• 2 carrots;
• 5 chicken eggs;
• 1 onion;
• 1 tbsp. canned peas;
• 2 pickled cucumbers;
• dill, salt, spices (to taste);
• 3 tbsp. l olive oil;
• 2 mint leaves (optional).

Cooking:

1. We bake carrots and potatoes in the oven, without removing the peel.
2. Boil hard boiled eggs.
3. Cut fillets into cubes.
4. In a heated frying pan with olive oil, fry the meat to a "blush".
5. We clean the potatoes and carrots, cut them into small cubes.
6. Cut squares in cucumbers, eggs.
7. Finely chop onions, herbs and mint.
8. All products are well mixed.
9. Pour peas.
10. We fill with mayonnaise. If desired, add a little spice and salt.

Cooking a delicious snack with sausage

The most famous cooking option is a recipe with sausage. Some housewives are convinced that the best salad is obtained at the "Doctoral", but, in principle, any boiled sausage product will do.

Ingredients:

• 250 g fresh sausage (boiled);
• 1 onion;
• 1 fresh cucumber;
• 2 large pickled cucumbers;
• 3 potatoes;
• 1 carrot;
• 2 chicken eggs;
• 150 grams of canned green peas;
• 150 g salad mayonnaise.

Cooking:

1. Boil the potatoes in the uniform. We clean it, cut it into cubes.
2. Boil eggs and carrots.
3. Clean the cucumber, cut into small squares.
4. Shred onions, pour water and let stand 5-10 minutes. If you like spicy salad, you can add a spoonful of table vinegar to the water.
5. Cut carrots and eggs.
6. Dice the cut sausage.
7. Mix the components.
8. Fill with mayonnaise, mix.
9. Add the peas and mix gently again so as not to damage the peas.
10. Give the salad to soak in the sauce for about 20 minutes. The dish is ready.

Salad "Olivier" with salmon

Fish lovers will appreciate the Russian salmon salad recipe. However, for such a mission would fit any red fish.

Ingredients:

• 5 medium potatoes;
• 4 pickled cucumbers;
• 2 carrots;
• 250 g salted salmon (fillet);
• 3 chicken eggs;
• mayonnaise.

Cooking:

1. In the pan lay well-washed potatoes, eggs, carrots. Cook on low heat until cooked and let cool.
2. We clean the potatoes, carrots, eggs and cut them into small cubes.
3. Fish and cucumbers, too, cut into small squares.
4. Mix the ingredients and fill with mayonnaise. Salad ready.

For those who like to eat tasty and satisfying food, there is a win-win dish - Russian salad. This is a classic salad, but the recipe is quite supportive of experiments. It is always possible to choose an option that will take a minimum of time, but the result will always remain satisfying and festive.