Vinaigrette salad combines all the traditions of Russian cuisine - an abundance of boiled vegetables, bright acidity from pickles or sauerkraut, hearty dressing from vegetable oil. But not many people know that the dish is not of Russian origin. And not everyone knows how to cook this salad correctly and tasty.

A Brief History of Vinaigrette

It was not possible to establish a specific parent country of the vinaigrette. Presumably, the salad comes from Sweden or Germany. As far back as the 19th century, a recipe for Swedish salad was mentioned in the English cookbook. The main ingredients are boiled vegetables and herring.

But this fact does not explain the origin of the name. Previously, vinegar dressing was a must. One of the French cooks, noticing how a specific dressing was added to a dish of boiled vegetables, exclaimed: "Vinaigre?" The warped version of the word quickly “stuck” to the well-known salad, and translated from French, the name of the Russian salad simply means “vinegar”.

There is another, rather funny story of vinaigrette salad. When Catherine II was given the opportunity to try a strange salad of cooked vegetables, the tsarina immediately put down a plate with the words: “Fi! Not warm. ” Indeed, cooked vegetables were served to the Russian crown only hot. But, despite this, the dish has taken root in Russia, and has since been called vinaigrette.

How to cook beets for salad

The first thing that starts with a delicious vinaigrette is properly cooked vegetables.

Regarding potatoes and carrots, questions rarely arise, but it is worthwhile to cook beets according to a special method, following the following tips:

  • Do not digest the vegetable, half an hour is enough after boiling water.But large beets will need to be cooked for at least an hour.
  • Do not salt water. It is better to add a teaspoon of lemon juice - the vegetable will have a more saturated color.
  • Do not cut the beets, cut off the tail. Rinse just enough to save all the nutrients.
  • Cook carrots and potatoes should not be in the same pan with beets - the products can acquire a pink tint and slightly change their taste.
  • You can simplify the cooking process using a slow cooker. Preferred mode - "Cooking" or "Soup".

Classic recipe

Vinaigrette, as a true Russian dish (which it is not), is prepared quickly and simply, but it saturates for the whole day.

The only minus of the salad is that it is not stored for long. Therefore, it is recommended to immediately eat the entire cooked portion.

 

For a classic vinaigrette, you will need the following ingredients:

  • canned peas - ½ banks;
  • table vinegar - 1 tsp;
  • potatoes (medium) - 5 pcs.;
  • onion - 1 pc.;
  • pickled cucumbers - 3 pcs.;
  • beets (average) - 3 pcs.;
  • sunflower oil - 6 tbsp. l .;
  • salt and seasoning to taste.

Instructions for the preparation of vinaigrette:

  1. Boil beets and potatoes for 20 to 30 minutes. Do it in different containers.
  2. Cut vegetables into small cubes.
  3. Chop the onion into thin strips.
  4. Cut the cucumbers with either round pieces or medium-sized straws.
  5. Send green peas to a deep bowl, vegetables there too. Stir lightly.
  6. From spices, oil and vinegar make dressing, pour salad. Garnish with greens (twigs or chopped leaves).

How to cook with sauerkraut

One of the favorite recipes of the entire population. Sauerkraut gives a pleasant sourness and spiciness, so vinegar in the composition is optional. It is important to eat the cooked portion during the day, otherwise the salad will be unsuitable for consumption.

Take the following products:

  • sauerkraut - 200 g;
  • carrots - 2 pcs.;
  • salt - 1 - 2 pinches;
  • beets - 2 pcs.;
  • vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. l .;
  • potatoes - 3 pcs.;
  • pickled cucumbers - 2 pcs.;
  • onion - 1 pc.;
  • pepper and other spices to taste.

You can cook vinaigrette with sauerkraut using the following procedure:

  1. Boil the vegetables. Finely chop, preferably into cubes, but you can experiment with the shape.
  2. Chop the onion in half rings. Do not heat-treat.
  3. Cucumbers are also finely chopped.
  4. Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl, mix, pour with vegetable oil, add your favorite spices.

Despite the fact that deviations from the classic recipe are rarely welcome, you can try to process the products in a different way: bake in the oven or sentence for a couple.

Option with pickles

Pickled cucumbers become a kind of analogue of sauerkraut - they add sourness, and with them the dish does not need vinegar dressing. The salad acquires different shades of taste thanks to a different salting technique, so each housewife will get a unique vinaigrette.

Prepare the following set of products:

  • carrots (large) - 1 pc.;
  • vinegar - 50 ml;
  • pickles - 2 pcs.;
  • beets - 1 pc.;
  • potatoes - 2 pcs.;
  • vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. l .;
  • salt to taste;
  • onion - 1 pc.

A step-by-step recipe for this variation of vinaigrette:

  1. Send potatoes, beets and carrots to boiling water, boil for about half an hour. Peel all vegetables, finely chop.
  2. Remove the onion from the skin, chop into strips.
  3. Chop cucumbers into thin slices or slices.
  4. Make dressing from vinegar, vegetable oil and spices.
  5. Put the vegetables in a bowl, pour over the prepared mixture, mix with quick and easy movements.
  6. Decorate as desired, serve.

This salad variation is also short-lived, therefore it is recommended either to quickly eat the whole portion or not to add dressing and cucumbers - vegetables without them will last 3 to 4 days longer.

Beef Vinaigrette

Another very favorite recipe, according to which a very satisfying, but at the same time light salad is obtained.

If you want to make the taste of the dish less saturated, you can remove pickled cucumbers from its composition and season with only vegetable oil.

 

To make a delicious vinaigrette, you will need the following ingredients:

  • boiled carrots - 1 pc.;
  • vinegar - 1 tsp;
  • onions - ½ pcs.;
  • canned beans - 1 can;
  • sunflower oil - 2 tbsp. l .;
  • boiled beets - 2 pcs.;
  • pickled cucumbers - 4 pcs.;
  • salt and seasoning to taste;
  • green peas - ½ banks.

To create a vinaigrette with beans, it is important to follow the instructions:

  1. Cut potatoes into small cubes. A similar action to do with beets.
  2. Chop the carrots with a neat straw or diced.
  3. Cut the cucumbers in half and cut into semi-circles of small thickness.
  4. Peel the onion, halve. Chop thin half rings.
  5. Pour the chopped vegetables into a deep container.
  6. Drain the water from the peas, send half the jar to the vegetables, and do the same with the beans.
  7. Stir the contents of the bowl, pour oil, vinegar, add seasoning to taste.

It is believed that dried greens will best complement the taste of the salad: parsley, tarragon, dill, chervil. You can add a small amount of mustard.

Cooking with apples

A more original recipe that housewives quite often use is vinaigrette with apples. It is better to choose a fruit from acidic varieties, but lovers of specific cooking can also enjoy the interesting sweet shade.

The following components will be required:

  • sauerkraut - 150 g;
  • beets - 2 pcs.;
  • sunflower oil - 2 tbsp. l .;
  • apple - 2 pcs.;
  • pickled cucumber - 2 pcs.;
  • vinegar - 1 tsp;
  • carrots - 2 pcs.;
  • peas (canned) - 1 can.

Cooking Method:

  1. Grind all vegetables in the form of small cubes, after boiling and peeling.
  2. Drain the water from the peas.
  3. You can squeeze a little cabbage.
  4. Peel the apples, get rid of the core, also cut into cubes.
  5. Send all products to a bowl, mix. Pour vinegar mixed with oil and spices.

Storage time for non-seasoned dishes

Vinaigrette is an extremely perishable dish. The main reason is acidic foods in the composition. A day later, a salad with sauerkraut and pickles in the composition can not be eaten. Moreover, it often seems that there are no signs of unfitness, but such a dish has a very aggressive effect on the stomach.

The best way to achieve long-term storage is to separate the ingredients. Cooked vegetables seasoned with oil only will be stored in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. The addition of vinegar already reduces the storage time by 2 to 3 days, and pickled or salted vegetables, as already mentioned, will ruin the salad in a day.

Vinaigrette is a very simple but tasty salad. It is not necessary to adhere to the described recipes, you can supplement the dish with other vegetables and experiment with dressing.

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