Vinaigrette salad appeared after potatoes were brought to Europe from America. History claims that it was this vegetable that saved 18th century France from starvation. Previously, this root vegetable was considered poisonous and people were afraid to eat it, but later they figured it out and fell in love with everyone. The author of the famous and beloved salad remains unknown, but the mixture of the main vegetables growing in our country suggests that it was invented in Russia.
The name of the dish has French roots. The word "vinigar" translated means "acid, vinegar." The French who came to our country tried a sour vegetable salad and immediately came up with a name for it. Later the word acquired a local sound and became “vinaigrette”.
Over time, the initial version of the salad changed, and cooks came up with more and more new ingredients. In this article, we’ll look at what to put in a vinaigrette, how to boil and cut vegetables, and reveal the secrets of a beautiful salad color. We will also tell you how you can complement the dish, what interesting recipes were invented by experienced chefs.
Classic vinaigrette
We will consider in more detail later in the article what is put into the salad, which has been generally accepted in all recipes since Soviet times.
Prepare the following products:
- 3-4 medium sized potatoes.
- 1 carrot.
- 1 beet.
- 200 grams of sauerkraut (you can replace it with 2 pickled cucumbers).
- 1 onion.
- 50 grams of refined sunflower oil.
- A pinch of salt.
- Same amount of black pepper.
- Table vinegar 3% – 1 tbsp. l.
- Granulated sugar - half a teaspoon.
American-style vinaigrette salad without cucumbers
Incredibly, a dish so famous since Soviet times began to be prepared even in America. True, they use slightly different products. But this is the highlight of the recipe for vinaigrette with butter.
You will need:
- 1 potato;
- 1 beet;
- 2 carrots;
- 1 tsp. honey;
- 1 onion;
- 30 gr. oils;
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar;
- 1/3 tsp. salt;
- 1/3 tsp. pepper
Cooking steps:
- Root vegetables are washed and boiled. Then cool, peel and cut into cubes.
- The onion is peeled and chopped.
- In a glass or bowl, mix vinegar with oil, honey, salt and pepper. At this point the sauce can be considered ready.
- Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl, add dressing and mix.
Vinaigrette salad without cucumbers is not a myth, it really can be prepared. Moreover, the result will surprise and amaze even sophisticated gourmets. A seemingly simple dish takes on an incredibly rich flavor profile. This is no longer an ordinary snack, but a complete, beautiful and tasty treat, which can contain mushrooms, cabbage, peas, and corn.
How to choose products
You already know what goes into a classic vinaigrette; next we’ll look at how to choose the right ingredients to make the salad tasty.
Choose potatoes that are approximately the same size so that all vegetables are cooked at the same time. Make sure there are no green areas on the root vegetables; they contain solanine, which is hazardous to health. Take potatoes of a familiar variety; they should be tasty, but firm, and not fall apart when peeled and cut.
Carrots should be juicy and sweet. The variety "Karotel" is suitable. It is better to take the size medium. If you need a large portion of salad, it is better to boil several small root vegetables rather than one large one.
Also choose medium-sized beets. Tasty and sweet beets have a cylindrical shape. Since this vegetable takes a long time to cook, take care of preparing it in advance. The average cooking time for beets is 1.5 hours, depending on the size. The quality of the salad and its taste depend on this root vegetable, so be especially careful when choosing a product. The beets should be dark in color, uniform and firm to the touch. You can taste the raw vegetable for sweetness by cutting off a piece at the market.
Cabbage should not be too sour; it is better to use freshly pickled cabbage in salads. If you use pickled cucumbers, be sure to rinse them under running water to remove excess acid before slicing them into salad.
Onions are taken of sweet varieties, without excessive bitterness. It is better to take purple, but onion will also do. Housewives often add young green onions to the vinaigrette. It will add freshness and brightness to the salad.
It is best to use refined vegetable oil in vinaigrette, without a specific odor, so as not to drown out the aroma of the vegetables themselves. In addition to sunflower oil, you can use corn or olive oil.
Recipe for vinaigrette with fresh cabbage, fresh, pickled cucumbers and apple
We will need:
- Boiled beets – 1 pc.
- Boiled potatoes – 3 pcs.
- Boiled carrots – 1 pc.
- Fresh cabbage – 250 gr.
- Fresh cucumbers – 2 pcs.
- Pickled cucumbers – 1 pc.
- Green peas – 50 gr.
- Sour apples – 1 pc.
- Onion – 1 pc.
- Vegetable oil – 2 – 3 tbsp. l.
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vinegar 9%
Preparation:
We peel the boiled vegetables and cut them into medium cubes, you can cut them into small cubes, leave the beets separately and pour in a little oil
Cut fresh cucumbers into strips and pickled cucumbers into small cubes
Shred the cabbage into thin strips, cut the onion into thin half rings
Peel the apple, cut it into small pieces so that it does not darken, mix it with vegetable oil, just like beets.
In a deep bowl, mix all the chopped products, add green peas, add salt, sugar and vinegar or lemon juice to taste.
Preparing the salad
Almost everything that is put into a vinaigrette according to the classic recipe must be boiled in advance. This applies to raw vegetables - carrots, potatoes and beets. They are thoroughly washed from the remaining soil using a brush, and then placed in a pan, filled with enough water and put on fire. After boiling, reduce the gas and cook until tender. For potatoes and carrots, it is enough to boil for 10-15 minutes, depending on the variety.
It is advisable to boil beets in a separate container, as they take longer to cook than other products. After cooking, the vegetables must cool, only then peel them and cut them into small cubes. Try to keep them the same size, then the salad will look aesthetically pleasing.
When the vegetables are chopped and poured into the salad bowl, it’s time for the rest of the products to be added to the vinaigrette according to the classic recipe. Peel the onions, wash and finely chop. You can replace it with fresh green onions.
Squeeze the sauerkraut in your palms over the sink to remove excess liquid. Then cut it into smaller segments, for example, into pieces measuring 3-4 cm. If you put cucumbers in the vinaigrette instead of cabbage, then rinse them under water before cutting to wash off excess acid. Only then do they cut them into cubes the same size as the rest of the vegetables. When using pickled vegetables, you do not need to add vinegar to the salad, since there is an excess of it in the cucumbers themselves.
When all the vinaigrette ingredients are chopped, season the salad with vegetable oil, add salt, black pepper, sugar and mix. When serving, you can place a sprig of parsley on top. This will decorate the dish and give it contrasting notes.
Option with legumes
You already know what to put in the vinaigrette according to the classic recipe described above, however, many housewives also add legumes to their favorite salad. It turns out delicious with beans and canned green peas.
You can also use canned beans, just choose the option in its own juice, without any additives. Many people prepare it themselves. To do this, it is recommended to rinse the beans in the evening and add cold water to cover two fingers above the level of the legumes. Overnight, the beans will swell well and cook faster. Readiness is checked by tasting (it should be soft, but not crumbly) or by visual inspection. The finished beans settle to the bottom of the pan and increase in size. The film should become completely transparent and soft.
If using the second product, open the can and pour all the liquid into the sink through a sieve. High-quality and young peas are placed in the vinaigrette. It is smaller and has a bright color, without yellowness.
A salad with legumes turns out to be richer and higher in calories. This way you can get enough food even for vegetarians or during fasting.
Salad with herring
Vinaigrette is a unique salad that you can add any food to. Remember everyone’s favorite herring under a fur coat, because all the ingredients are quite similar to the salad described. Why not add such delicious fish to the vinaigrette. We’ll consider what to put besides fish next. For 150 grams of herring fillet, take:
- carrots - 1-2 pieces (depending on size);
- potatoes - 3 pcs.;
- beets - 1 large or 2 small;
- pickles - 2 or 3 pcs.
Vegetables can be boiled or baked in the oven as usual. To do this, thoroughly wash all root vegetables under running water to remove any remaining soil, dry with a paper towel, and then wrap each vegetable separately in foil. Preheat the oven to 180° and bake until done, about 40 minutes. Then open the foil and leave the vegetables in the fresh air until they cool completely.
Then everything is prepared in the usual way: peel the skin and finely cut into cubes. Pickled cucumbers, previously peeled from seeds, are placed in the vinaigrette.
Clean the herring from the insides and the top film, wash it under water and use tweezers to remove all the bones so that they do not get caught in the salad. Then the fish is cut into small cubes, like other products.
Vinaigrette with sauerkraut
Sauerkraut determines the taste of the prepared dish. Each housewife prepares cabbage according to her favorite recipe, making it saltier, sweeter or sour.
In addition, carrots, cranberries or apples are added to cabbage, bringing new shades. Any option will be an excellent base for a vinaigrette.
Required Products:
- Sauerkraut – 400-500 g;
- Boiled beets – 1 large or 2 medium;
- Potatoes, boiled in their jackets – 4-7 pieces, depending on size;
- Boiled carrots – 1 pc.;
- Red salad onion – 1 pc., can be replaced with onion;
- Pickled (salted) cucumbers – 2-3 medium;
- Green peas – 1 can;
- Greens (dill, parsley, green onions) – optional;
- Vegetable oil – 3-5 tablespoons;
- Salt, if required.
Preparation:
- Prepare a deep bowl or salad bowl
- . Cut all boiled vegetables into small cubes, 0.7-1 cm, after peeling them.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings and pour boiling water over them to remove excess bitterness (for onions).
- Cut the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters and chop thinly.
- Finely chop the greens.
- Add sauerkraut and green peas, draining excess liquid.
- Season with vegetable oil, stir, add salt if necessary.
A tasty and healthy vinaigrette is ready! You can put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that the vegetables absorb each other’s taste, or you can immediately put it on the table.
Salad dressing
Mustard sauce gives the salad a special taste. It is made from the following products: take 2 tbsp for 2 chicken yolks. l. sugar, mustard, dry white wine, vinegar 3%; meat broth and refined vegetable oil, as well as a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Place all the ingredients of the mustard sauce in a separate pan and place on low heat. Stirring constantly, bring to thickening. However, be careful not to let the mixture boil. As soon as the first bubbles appear, immediately remove from heat and continue stirring for a while. Salt and pepper are added after turning off the heat.
If the vinaigrette is prepared during fasting, then meat broth and eggs are simply not added to the sauce.
Vinaigrette with mushrooms
Sometimes pickled mushrooms, such as honey mushrooms, are used for this salad. What to put in the vinaigrette is described below:
It is best to buy canned honey mushrooms in stores to avoid getting wormy or poorly peeled mushrooms. For the salad, choose small honey mushrooms so that you don’t have to cut them into separate pieces.
Usually carrots are added to the vinaigrette, but they are not included in this recipe. Therefore, only beets and potatoes are boiled. After cooling, they are peeled and finely chopped. The onions are peeled, washed under waste water and also chopped. Remove the mushrooms from the jar with a spoon with holes so that the marinade drains and does not get into the salad. If the mushrooms are too soaked in vinegar, then you don’t need to add it to the salad. At the end, pour all the crushed products with oil, salt, pepper and mix.
Vinaigrette without cucumbers with mushrooms
- beets – 0.2 kg;
- carrots – 100 g;
- green onions – 100 g;
- potatoes – 0.4 kg;
- salted or pickled mushrooms – 0.2 kg;
- sauerkraut – 100 g;
- table mustard – 5 ml;
- vegetable oil – 60 ml;
- fresh herbs - to taste.
- Boil, peel and cut the vegetables into small cubes of equal size. Mix beets with 2-3 teaspoons of oil. Place carrots and potatoes in a bowl.
- Place mushrooms and cabbage in a bowl.
- Grind the mustard with the remaining oil, pour the sauce into a bowl, stir.
- Finely chop the herbs and green onions. Combine with vegetables, stir.
- Add beets, stir again.
This vinaigrette will appeal to those who are partial to mushrooms. It looks so bright and optimistic that it is not a shame to put it on the holiday table. You can decorate with mushrooms by placing a few on top.
Read also: Lamb khash recipe at home
Salad with pine nuts and fresh cucumber
The vinaigrette prepared according to this original recipe will surprise all guests with its unusual flavor combination. To prepare it you will need the following ingredients:
How to prepare a salad
First of all, you need to boil the vegetables. If desired, you can bake them in the oven. This will make them more aromatic, soaked not with water, but with their juice. Peel and wash the onion before slicing. Cut the olives into thin rings; they will look impressive in the finished salad. Instead of pickled cucumbers, use fresh cucumbers for this version of vinaigrette. You just need to wash it and cut it into the desired pieces. Some housewives take out the juicy part with the seeds, leaving only the dense pulp, but you don’t have to do this.
When everything is mixed in a salad bowl, add salt and pepper, season with oil. Pine nuts will add special flavor notes to the vinaigrette, but before you sprinkle them on top of the dish, you need to fry them in a frying pan. There is no need to pour oil, because the nuts already contain it. When drying, be sure to stir the nuts with a wooden spoon to prevent them from burning. If desired, you can add finely chopped dill or parsley to the salad.
How to decorate a vinaigrette with fresh cabbage
The bright and contrasting colors of the vegetables that make up the vinaigrette make it attractive and appetizing even without additional decoration. However, many housewives try to give the snack a more festive look, decorating it to their liking. You can offer several options for decorating a vinaigrette with fresh cabbage.
- Fresh herbs will help bring out the fresh flavor of the raw cabbage vinaigrette and make it even brighter. For this, sprigs of dill or parsley are most often used, laying them on top of the salad or along its contour. Another option is to use lettuce leaves for decoration. They can be placed on a dish, in a salad bowl or in bowls and the finished salad can be placed on them so that the pieces of greenery frame it.
- By cutting carrots and beets into thin slices, you can collect flowers from them. By placing them on the surface of the salad, you will give it a festive look. If the vinaigrette includes fresh cucumbers, flowers can be made from them.
- The vinaigrette, laid out in wide transparent glasses, looks beautiful and stylish, especially if collected in layers. This option for serving snacks in portions is now in fashion.
- You can spread the vinaigrette, giving it a neat shape, using special cylindrical molds with a press. You can make these yourself from cans, and use a spoon instead of a press when removing the form from the salad.
Meat salad with smoked chicken breast
A vinaigrette with a meat component will be very satisfying and tasty. In our recipe, its function is performed by smoked chicken breast. In addition to the main vegetables - beets (2 pcs.), potatoes (2 pcs.) and carrots (1 pc.), you will need 1 onion, a full handful of sauerkraut, 1 chicken breast, 2 cranberries.
The dressing is made from vegetable oil with the addition of 1 tbsp. l. Dijon mustard and the same amount of natural honey of liquid consistency.
For this vinaigrette, it is recommended to bake vegetables in the oven. After cooling, they are peeled and finely cut into equal cubes. The chicken breast is sold ready-made, so all that remains is to cut it into small pieces or strips.
Squeeze the cabbage in your palms, discarding excess brine. It is advisable to cut it into large pieces to make it easier to pick up the salad with a fork.
Cranberries are used for dressing. You can take either fresh or frozen berries. Grind it in a blender and then mix it with the dressing ingredients. Don't forget to add salt and pepper to the salad if desired. You can leave a few cranberries to decorate the top of the finished dish.
