Salads decorate our table, make food more diverse, and life is much happier and tastier. And if you are not a supporter of a strictly vegetarian diet, you definitely need to try the Merchants salad. The classic recipe of the dish allows you to "play" with the components and feel the true gourmet pleasure when using it. It is possible that you quickly forget the eternal addiction to Olivier, forever giving your heart (and stomach) to the "Merchant" salad.
With pork
This kind of meat is most attractive to the bulk of the population, so for starters we’ll prepare the Kupechesky salad with pork.
A quarter of a kilogram of pork fillet will be enough for an average family or for the first time. It should be coarsely chopped and cooked; the broth can be used for anything else. Finished meat either crumbles smaller, or disassembled into fibers.
A pair of peeled carrots is rubbed, fried in sunflower oil (for gourmets - in olive) oil and strained from it. The onion is cut into thin half rings and soaked for a quarter of an hour in boiling water with two tablespoons of sugar and a spoonful of vinegar dissolved. Then all the components are combined, a can of canned peas is poured, the food is peppered and salted - and here’s the Kupechesky salad. The classic recipe involves filling it with mayonnaise. We will not argue, it really is perfect. Before serving, you can sprinkle the dish with chopped herbs.
Salad "Merchant": a classic recipe with beef
In principle, the same as in the previous version, only a different type of meat. However, there are still some deviations. So, some culinary experts advise not to cook beef, but to bake in a sleeve with spices. It seems that this method provides greater softness of beef. In addition, it is not recommended to split it into fibers, it is better to cut into neat little cubes or cubes. And beef salad “Merchants” according to the classic recipe should be sprinkled with grated cheese on top. Greens can be present, but only at the request of the cook.
By the way, the salad is very tasty to consume in tartlets or wrapped in thin small pancakes.
Merchant Salad with Chicken: A Classic Recipe
The main approaches again remain the same. The question is only in choosing the part of the carcass: it turns out to be rather dry with the breast, so it is better to prefer chicken leg. It should be boiled or baked, only this time without a sleeve, just on a baking sheet. Onions with carrots are processed as standard, peas are laid in about the same amount. Perhaps, those who strictly follow the figure will not refuse this option.
But gourmets are advised to put into business not ordinary chicken, but smoked. They say that the taste of the salad is amazing!
Ham option
There is a classic recipe for Merchants salad for those who believe that the best meat is sausage. True, the boiled pot is absolutely not suitable here, you need something more gracious. Ham is the thing. By the way, in this version of the salad the classic is somewhat deviating from the canons. Instead of peas, canned beans are taken, instead of onions - a couple of garlic cloves, and the tomato will play the role of carrot. It will need to be cut into the same cubes as ham, crushed garlic is mixed in mayonnaise, grated cheese will become an additional (but already familiar) ingredient . All this is mixed and immediately rushed to the table: such a "Merchant" salad is not stored for a long time, because the tomato lets out the juice, and tomorrow the dish will lose much in its charm.
A real delicacy
If a significant celebration looms ahead and you are ready to fork out a little, we recommend preparing the Merchants salad, the recipe for which is based on the language. Better beef, although it won't ruin a pork song. The offal is cooked in accordance with all the rules, cools, cleaned and finely crumbles. To 250 grams of a valuable ingredient is added half the champignon, which must be fried in a company with onions in vegetable oil until unconditionally ready. This time, the carrots should not be allowed in the pan, but boiled, then grated. Rubbing and a 100-gram block of cheese. You also need to chop three pickles in a salad bowl, and mix the mayonnaise with sour cream in a ratio of 4 to 1 for dressing.
Since we are dealing with a delicious recipe, it is better to arrange the ingredients in layers. Let the tongue be the first level, followed by the cucumbers, after them the mushrooms fried with onions, then the peas are laid, carrots are placed on it, and the cheese should complete the construction. Of course, each layer is carefully coated with the prepared mixture.
And the fish will come in handy!
In the end, we left the recipe, the most distant from the original, enriched with additional ingredients along the way, but retaining the proud name “Merchant”. For him, you will need to buy a third kilo of salted salmon (fillet, of course). In addition, the list includes two hard-boiled eggs and a large potato. Of course, not raw. Both are cut into cubes; the fillet is crumbled similarly, but slightly larger, since the taste of the fish should prevail over the others. Before laying the salmon in a salad bowl, it would be nice to sprinkle it lightly with fresh lemon juice. A gram of two hundred cheese from hard varieties is passed through a fine grater, the onion is chopped in small cubes. If desired, it can be pickled, as described above - the taste of the salad will become more delicate. All ingredients except cheese are mixed with mayonnaise. It is better to use its light "hypostasis": too greasy dressing will crush the taste and aroma of the fish. And since we are dealing with a gourmet dish, it is advisable to arrange it portionwise, using salad rings: beautiful, elegant, and enough for all guests.
Many people like to spread the "Merchant" salad in layers. The classic recipe for any used main ingredient, be it meat, poultry or fish, recommends keeping the dish in cool for longer. Exclusively because the layers are impregnated with each other longer than the mixed mass. However, most housewives already prepare a table in advance so as not to fuss with kitchen utensils when guests start calling at the doorbell.