If you’ve recognized this salad, then you’re Ukrainian:)) Vinegret is also popular in Russia and other post-Soviet states. At most holidays and family gatherings, you will find a bowl of this vibrant, healthy and nutritious salad on a table. Although it is called “vinegret” in Ukrainian, which may sound to you like a vinaigrette, it’s a real salad, not a dressing.
If you look at ingredients of this salad, you’ll understand why this salad was so popular during winter holidays for Ukrainian ancestors – because it is cooked of vegetables and pickles that were in each house at hand. Vinegret includes diced cooked root veggies, green peas and sauerkraut (sour cabbage) and/or pickled, brined or marinated cucumbers. Potato gives heartiness, beet and carrot add sweetness, and pickles impart a tart flavor. Add to that soft green pea and crunchy spring onion – and you’ll get a uniquely tasty combination.
And yes, this salad doesn’t contain mayonnaise. It’s dressed with vegetable oil.
One more bonus of a beetroot salad is that it can be cooked a couple of days in advance. In that case, it tastes even greater as flavors have time to blend (if you cook vinegret beforehand it’s better to add spring onion right before serving).
Ingredients:
- 3 medium potatoes
- 2 medium red beetroots
- 2 big carrots
- 5-6 tbsp green peas
- 5 pickled cucumbers
- Some strips of spring onion
- Vegetable oil – to taste
- Salt – to taste
Cooking
Let’s start with veggies
Wash potatoes, beetroots, and carrots under running water. Boil unpeeled vegetables until done (cook beets in a separate pan). Bear in mind that the amount of time needed to boil the veggies differ. For instance, beetroot cooks longer. So you just check your vegetables with a fork – if you can pierce them easily, then they are done.
When cooked, set aside veggies to let them cool and then peel vegetables. Cut veggies into small cubes (they should have about the same size).
Chop pickled cucumbers. Wash and cut spring onion finely.
A tip to not let beet “die” your salad
Place the diced beetroot in a separate bowl. Season it with salt and dress with oil. Set aside the beet for a while. That’s all.) The oil will “envelop” beetroot pieces and prevent them from producing a juice.
Last step – combine all ingredients
Put all veggies in one bowl. Add green peas and spring onion. Adjust salt to your taste (be careful to not oversalt your salad as cucumbers are already rather salty). Carefully mix everything to combine. Dress the salad with vegetable oil.
One more advantage of this salad is that you can add more or fewer beets, potatoes or carrots (it’s all up to your taste preferences).
Enjoy your meal!
Have you liked the recipe for a beetroot salad?
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