All housewives know without exception, even beginners, the classic Olivier recipe in our country. After all, this is a salad without which no celebration can do, it is present on the New Year's table, on birthdays. In addition, preparing it is very simple, anyone will cope with such a task. Interestingly, Olivier gained popularity just in Russia and the countries of the former USSR, having received its name in honor of the cook Lucien Olivier, who held the Hermitage restaurant in Moscow in 1860. It is also known under the names "Gusarsky", "Winter", "Russian" or "Meat" salad .
History
The classic Olivier recipe was first published in 1894. Readers of Our Food magazine found out about him. However, since then the list of ingredients has changed repeatedly. In the 19th century, as a rule, cucumbers, grouse, lettuce, lanspeak, crayfish , potatoes, olives and capers were added to it. At least, such recommendations are contained in the book by Alexandrova, entitled "Guide to the study of the basics of culinary art."
They say that the initial salad recipe consisted of the following ingredients:
- calf tongue;
- 2 grouse;
- 1/4 pound of caviar;
- 0.5 pounds of fresh lettuce;
- 25 boiled crayfish;
- 0.5 cans of soy;
- 0.5 cans of pickles;
- 2 fresh cucumbers;
- 1/4 pound caper;
- 5 hard boiled eggs.
Separately, a sauce was prepared for olivier from a mixture of mayonnaise made from two chicken eggs in French vinegar and a pound of olive oil.
In Soviet times, the classic Olivier recipe became so popular due to the ease of preparation and the availability of ingredients. By the way, in Soviet times, many stubbornly called the salad "Winter", as its ingredients were available even in winter, when it was not so easy to prepare traditional "summer" salads.
Perestroika made some changes to this salad. It began to actively include boiled carrots, and among the additional and optional components appeared fresh cucumbers and apples. Instead of beef, chicken was often used, calling such a salad "Capital". By the way, it was originally thought that Stolichniy would be a cheaper version of Olivier, but over time their cost was equal at first, and then Stolichniy became even more expensive when chicken fillet began to cost more than Doctoral sausage.
Olivier Index
Interestingly, since 2009, the Russian media even began to calculate the "Olivier Index" to determine the level of inflation of consumer prices for food.
Experts believed that this “index” reflects the level of inflation more accurately than Rosstat data. The Olivier Index is compiled with similar practices when, for example, the Big Mac Index is calculated abroad.
Olivier salad often found itself in the center of incredible records. So, in 2012 in Orenburg, they prepared the largest salad in the world, the weight of which was 1,841 kilograms. He had to spend more than five thousand eggs, 260 liters of mayonnaise, 500 kilograms of sausage.
Classic version
The recipe for classic Olivier includes fairly affordable ingredients that are almost always at hand. It:
- 3 medium-sized potatoes;
- 4 carrots;
- 5 chicken eggs;
- 350 grams of doctor's sausage or ham;
- 450 grams of canned green peas;
- 6 pickles;
- 5 shoots of green onions;
- a bunch of dill;
- 250 grams of mayonnaise, it is best to make it homemade;
- ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Cooking process
The classic Olivier salad recipe is as follows. Carrots and potatoes need to be thoroughly washed, and then boiled in slightly salted water until fully cooked. Boil the eggs separately, while making sure that the yolk is not digested. Then cut the vegetables and eggs into small cubes with a side of about five millimeters. Dice ham or doctor's sausage into cubes of the same size. A recipe for a classic sausage olivier (a salad photo you will find in this article) will help you quickly and without errors prepare this dish.
We mix all the ingredients after that in a salad bowl, add finely chopped green onions and fresh dill. Dress with mayonnaise, black pepper and put our dish in the refrigerator.
Please note that if the cucumbers are very large seeds, then they need to be removed, and then cut into cubes of exactly the same size. We put them in a separate container. From the jar with peas, drain the liquid and also transfer it to a separate container.
Just before serving on the table, add green peas and pickles to the salad. After that, mix the salad again, try on the salt, if necessary, salt and pepper. With the classic salad recipe Olivier, as you can see, anyone can handle it.
Another salad option
During its existence, many classic Olivier salad recipes have appeared. Outwardly, they are very similar to each other, but still noticeably different, sometimes possessing unique shades of taste.
Indeed, during this time, Olivier has become a mandatory attribute of any holiday table. In many families, no triumph is complete without him. For this classic Olivier salad recipe, take:
- 400 grams of boiled jacket potatoes;
- 150 grams of boiled carrots;
- 6 boiled chicken eggs;
- 300 grams of pickles;
- 300 grams of boiled sausage;
- 300 ml mayonnaise;
- a can of green canned peas;
- a bunch of green onions;
- ground black pepper and salt to taste.
By the way, the last two ingredients are used as desired. In the classic salad recipe, Olivier can be ignored, because there are a lot of salted ingredients in it, which include salted doctor’s sausage, pickles, and pickled mayonnaise. Therefore, salt this salad only by tasting after you have added all the ingredients.
Olivier with sausage
To prepare an Olivier salad according to the classic recipe, boil the potatoes directly in the peel, wait until it cools down, then peel and cut into small cubes.
Do the same with carrots. Boil it, cool and clean, and then cut into small cubes. Hard boiled eggs and cut into cubes.
Cucumbers are advised to peel and cut into small cubes. Chop the onions thoroughly and chop the cooked sausage into cubes. Pay attention to its quality in the store so that its quality is adequate.
In a deep bowl, mix the chopped vegetables with mayonnaise and green peas. At this stage, you just need to try the salad on salt, add it if necessary.
Olivier with chicken
The recipe for a classic olivier (this is often noticeable in the photo of dishes) often includes not only sausage, but also chicken. The main thing when cooking is to carefully observe the number of products and their combination. Still this salad, many bring as a classic recipe salad Olivier with pickles. Take these components:
- chicken breast;
- 4 medium-sized potatoes;
- large carrots;
- onion;
- 3 chicken eggs;
- fresh cucumber;
- 5 pickled cucumbers;
- can of peas;
- 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise;
- ground black pepper and salt to taste.
How to cook chicken olivier?
To prepare this salad, first boil the carrots and potatoes, wait until they cool. Note that the vegetables turn out delicious, they need to be put in boiling salt water and cook until cooked.
Peel potatoes, eggs and carrots, cut them into cubes of approximately the same size, they should resemble a small pea in their parameters. Mix all the ingredients in a deep container. There we put finely chopped onions.
Peel a fresh cucumber, cut it into cubes as well. Cut the pickled cucumber with the same cubes, add them to the rest of the salad ingredients.
Boil the chicken breast in slightly salted water, and then cut into layers, strips and cubes. We send the peas there and mix thoroughly.
Remember, if you do not plan to immediately bring the whole salad to the table, then cover it with foil or pour it into a container for longer storage, and therefore put it in the refrigerator.
Dress salad with mayonnaise, put pepper and salt. Before serving, we mix again and add salt if necessary.
According to the classic recipe olivier with pickles, it is recommended to serve the salad using the so-called culinary ring, where the salad is placed, and then tamped. After that, a few more spoons are poured on top. To decorate Olivier, it is recommended to decorate with fresh herbs.
Another cooking option
The classic Olivier recipe with cucumber is often prepared not in the winter, but in the summer version. In this case, the main ingredients are chicken, fresh cucumbers and apples, but they refuse from pickles at all. Apples add spicy sourness to this classic salad recipe Olivier with cucumber. The salad has a very pleasant and light smell, many even think that it smells in summer.
To prepare it you will need:
- fresh chicken breast or 3 smoked drumsticks;
- red onion;
- sour apple;
- cucumber;
- 2 medium-sized potatoes;
- 2 chicken eggs;
- half a can of canned peas;
- a bunch of green onions;
- mayonnaise (by the way, it can be replaced with a sauce prepared on the basis of natural yogurt and mayonnaise, taken in equal proportions);
- salt to taste.
The secret to another delicious salad
The recipe for a classic olivier with peas and cucumber is not much different from all the previous ones. All ingredients that require heat treatment must be boiled. The potatoes are cooked in their skins, the chicken breast is necessarily in slightly salted water, and the eggs are always hard boiled.
All prepared foods are cut into neat cubes of approximately the same size. It is recommended to first remove the skin from chicken breast, in which case the meat that you will use in the salad can be called dietary, because it contains many harmful substances, excess fats.
Peel the potatoes and chop the eggs with a knife. From the apple, cut the skin and cut the core. Cut it into cubes. Grind the fresh cucumber as much as possible, which is used in this recipe instead of the pickle that is more common for many.
Cut the onion into four equal parts and finely chop. Send all chopped products to a deep salad bowl, mix them there. Drain the liquid from a can of peas and add it to the salad too.
Salt and mix again. After that, put it on a plate, sprinkle with finely chopped fresh onions on top. That's it, the salad is ready.
Salad Decoration
In the traditions of domestic cooking, much attention is paid to decorating Olivier salad. It is believed that on solemn occasions it is necessary to serve it in a crystal salad bowl, the olivier is laid out in it with a slide, and parsley is poured on top.
Some craftsmen manage to construct original applications using boiled beets, tomatoes, peeled apples, lettuce, parsley, dill, bell pepper, boiled carrots, cheese, red cabbage, black currant, egg white, dark grape varieties, black pepper peas.
This is a great chance to show your culinary imagination.