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 crop was considered poisonous and was afraid to eat, but later understood and fell in love everywhere. The author of the salad famous and beloved by many remained unknown, however, a 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" in translation means "acid, vinegar." The French, who came to our country, tried a vegetable salad with sourness and immediately came up with a name for it. Later, the word acquired a local sound and turned into a “vinaigrette”.
Over time, the initial version of the salad changed, the chefs came up with more and more new ingredients. In the article, we consider what to put in a vinaigrette, how to boil and chop vegetables, we will reveal the secrets of a beautiful salad color. We will also tell you how to supplement the dish, what interesting recipes were invented by experienced chefs.
Classic vinaigrette
What is put into a salad that is generally accepted in all recipes since Soviet times, we will consider in more detail later in the article.
Prepare these foods:
- 3-4 medium sized potatoes.
- 1 carrot.
- 1 beetroot.
- 200 grams of sauerkraut (you can replace it with 2 pickles).
- 1 onion.
- 50 grams of refined sunflower oil.
- A pinch of salt.
- The same amount of black pepper.
- Table vinegar 3% - 1 tbsp. l
- Granulated sugar is half a teaspoon.
How to choose products
What you put in a classic vinaigrette, you already know, then we will consider how to choose the right products to make the salad delicious.
Pick up potatoes of approximately the same size so that all vegetables are cooked at the same time. Watch carefully that there are no green patches on the roots, it contains solanine, which is hazardous to health. Take potatoes of a familiar variety, it should be tasty, but firm, not fall apart when peeling and slicing.
Carrots should be juicy and sweet. The grade "Karotel" is suitable. Size is better to take medium. If you need a large portion of salad, it is better to boil several small root vegetables than one large one.
Beets also choose medium size. Tasty and sweet beets have a cylindrical shape. Since this vegetable is cooked for a long time, then take care of its preparation in advance. The average time for cooking beets is 1.5 hours, depending on size. The quality of the salad and its taste data depend on this root crop, so be careful when choosing a product. Beets should be dark in color, uniform and firm to the touch. You can try the raw vegetable for sweetness by cutting off a slice in the market.
Cabbage should not be too acidic, it is better to use fresh salting in the salad. If you use pickled cucumbers, then before cutting into a salad, be sure to rinse them under wastewater to wash off excess acid.
Onions take sweet varieties, without undue bitterness. It is better to take purple, but onion is also suitable. Often, housewives in vinaigrette lay onions green, young. It will add freshness and brightness to the salad.
Vegetable oil in vinaigrette is best used refined, without a specific smell, so as not to drown out the aroma of the vegetables themselves. In addition to sunflower oil, you can use corn or olive.
Cooking salad
Almost everything that is put in a vinaigrette according to the classic recipe needs to be boiled in advance. This applies to raw vegetables - carrots, potatoes and beets. They are thoroughly washed from the remnants of the earth using a brush, and then laid out in a pan, poured 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 it takes longer to cook than other products. After cooking, the vegetables should cool, only then peel them and cut into small cubes. Try to keep them the same size, then the salad will look aesthetically pleasing.
When the vegetables are sliced and sprinkled in a salad bowl, the rest of the products come to put in a vinaigrette according to the classic recipe. Peel the onions, wash and chop finely. You can replace it with fresh green onions.
Squash the cabbage over the sink in the palms of your hands to get rid of excess fluid. Then cut it into smaller segments, for example, into 3-4 cm pieces. If cucumbers are put in the vinaigrette instead of cabbage, then they are washed under water to cut off the excess acid. Only then they are cut into cubes the same size as the other vegetables. When using pickled vegetables, vinegar can not be added to the salad, since it is in excess in the cucumbers themselves.
When all the ingredients of the vinaigrette are sliced, season the salad with vegetable oil, add salt, black pepper, sugar and mix. When serving, a sprig of parsley can be placed on top. This will decorate the dish and give it a contrasting touch.
Bean Option
What to put in a vinaigrette according to the classic recipe described above, you already know, however, many housewives add legumes to their favorite salad. Tasty with beans and canned green peas.
Beans can also be used canned, just choose the option in your own juice, without any additives. Many cook it on their own. To do this, it is recommended to rinse the beans and pour cold water in the evening, so that they cover two fingers above the level of legumes. During the night, the beans will swell well and cook faster. Readiness is checked by tasting (it should be soft, but not crumble) or inspecting visually. Ready beans settle to the bottom of the pan and increase in size. The film should become completely transparent and soft.
When using a second product, open a tin can and drain all the liquid into the sink through a sieve. In the vinaigrette they put peas of high quality and young. It is smaller and has a bright color, without yellowness.
Bean salad turns out to be more saturated and high-calorie. This way you can get enough even for vegetarians or during fasting.
Herring Salad
Vinaigrette is a unique salad in which you can add any products. Remember everyone's favorite herring under a fur coat, because all the ingredients are quite similar to the described salad. Why not add such a delicious fish to the vinaigrette. What to put besides fish, we will consider further. For 150 grams of herring, 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 in the usual way or baked in the oven. To do this, thoroughly wash all root crops under wastewater from the remnants of the earth, pat dry with a paper towel, and then wrap each vegetable separately in foil. Preheat the oven to 180 ° and bake until cooked for approximately 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. In vinaigrette put pickles, previously peeled from seeds.
Clean herring from the insides and the upper film, wash under water and with tweezers select all the bones so that they do not fall into the salad. Then cut the fish into small cubes, like other products.
Salad dressing
Mustard sauce gives a special taste to the salad. They make it from such 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.
All components of mustard sauce are laid out in a separate pan and put on a slow fire. Constantly stirring, bring to a thickening. However, make sure that the mixture does not 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 fire.
If vinaigrette is cooked during fasting, then meat broth and eggs are simply not added to the sauce.
Mushroom Vinaigrette
Sometimes pickled mushrooms are used for such a salad, for example, honey mushrooms. What to put in a vinaigrette is described below:
- 2 pcs. beets;
- 200 grams of canned mushrooms;
- 1 onion;
- 3 potatoes;
- for refueling - 1 tbsp. l vegetable oil and 1 tsp. wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
It is best to take canned mushrooms in stores so that wormy or poorly peeled mushrooms are not caught. For salad, choose small mushrooms so that you do not need to cut them into separate parts.
Usually carrots are put in the vinaigrette, but it is not in this recipe. Therefore, only beets and potatoes are boiled. After cooling, they are cleaned and finely chopped. The onions are freed from the husk, washed under wastewater and also ground. Take the mushrooms out of the can with a spoon with holes so that the marinade does not stack in the salad. If the mushrooms are too saturated with vinegar, then it can no longer be added to the salad. At the end, fill all the crushed products with oil, salt, pepper and mix.
Salad with pine nuts and fresh cucumber
Vinaigrette, prepared according to this original recipe, will surprise all guests with an unusual flavor combination. To prepare it, you will need the following ingredients:
- 3 medium sized potatoes;
- 2 beets;
- onions - 1 piece;
- as many carrots;
- a handful of peeled pine nuts;
- 1 cucumber;
- seedless black olives - half a can;
- salt and pepper - a pinch;
- refined sunflower oil.
How to cook a salad
First of all, you need to boil vegetables. If desired, you can bake them in the oven. This will make them more fragrant, not saturated with water, but with their juice. Peel and wash the onion before slicing. Cut olives into thin rings, they will look spectacular in the finished salad. Instead of pickles for this option, vinaigrette is taken fresh. It just needs to be washed and cut into desired pieces. Some housewives take out a juicy part with seeds, leaving only a dense pulp, but you can not do this.
When everything is mixed in a salad bowl, salt and pepper, season with oil. Cedar nuts will add special flavoring notes to the vinaigrette, but before you sprinkle the dish on top of them, you must fry them in a pan. You don’t need to pour oil, because nuts have it in their composition. When drying, be sure to stir the nuts with a wooden spoon so that they do not burn. If desired, finely chopped dill or parsley can be added to the salad.
Smoked Chicken Breast Meat Salad
A very hearty and tasty vinaigrette with a meat component. In our recipe, smoked chicken breast performs its function. 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 cranberry presses.
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 such a salad, vegetables are advised to bake in the oven. After cooling, they are peeled and finely chopped with the same cubes. The chicken breast is sold ready-made, so it remains only to cut it into small pieces or strips.
Squash the cabbage in the palms of your hands, getting rid of excess brine. It is advisable to cut it into large pieces so that it is more convenient to pick up the salad with a fork.
Cranberries are used for seasoning. You can take both fresh and frozen berries. Grind it on a blender, and then mix it with the ingredients of the dressing. Do not forget to salt the salad and pepper if desired. You can leave a few cranberry berries to decorate the finished dish on top.
Cooking tips
So that the vegetables baked in foil do not stick to the pan, it is covered with a layer of salt on the bottom. To exit the steam after heating the oven, hole several holes in the foil. When unfolding, proceed carefully so that hot steam does not burn your hands.
So that the beets do not stain the remaining vegetables with their juice, they add it to the vinaigrette after the vegetable oil is poured. It envelops all products and prevents them from changing color.
Instead of vinegar, you can use lemon juice or a little citric acid.
Do they put cabbage in the vinaigrette? Yes, but you can add fresh to the salad instead of pickled. Mash it with your fingers first, so that the leaves become softer and release the juice. Such a vitamin version is prepared in the winter, when their shortage is especially felt.
Sourness can add not only sauerkraut, pickles or lemon juice, but also barrel unripe tomatoes and even sour apples, which are often fermented in a barrel with cabbage.
Some housewives use not only boiled or baked beets in the vinaigrette. Raw grated vegetable or pickled from a tin can is added.
The salad gets a special taste when red sweet pepper is added to it. Many add not only green onions to the vinaigrette, but also other fresh herbs, for example, dill, parsley, tarragon, celery. Berries such as cranberries or lingonberries give acid.
Now you know what vegetables are put in the vinaigrette, how you can improve the taste of your favorite salad. Cook with pleasure and delight loved ones with new dishes!