Last week we talked about spicing up your Halloween and bringing some international flavor to it. Today, we are going to give you some recipes of traditionally Russian dishes, which you can prepare for your family on this Halloween’s eve, and get you acquainted with some Russian foods that are already prepared and can be simply unwrapped and placed on your table.
Olivier salad
One of the most popular Russian foods is Olivier salad.
This salad is known throughout the world as ‘Russian salad’ and is a relative of the American potato salad. On any holiday, no matter whose Russian house you visit, odds are great that you will find this easy-to-make dish prepared in different variations.
Ingredients:
The ingredients for Olivier are simple and can be found in any grocery store.
- Potatoes (4)
- Carrots (2)
- Eggs (boiled) (3)
- Green peas (canned) (a quarter of a can)
- Pickles (3-5, depending on the size)
- Cold meats (this can be pork, chicken breast, or tuna (for example, tuna is traditionally used in Olivier in Spain (ensalada rusa)).
- Mayonnaise
- You can also add apples, cut into small chunks, or black olives.
Method:
- Boil potatoes and carrots until they are relatively soft, cut them up into ¼ inch pieces, add green peas, pickles and cold meat of your choice (also cut into ¼ inch pieces), mix everything with mayonnaise, add salt and pepper.
- Including boiling time, this recipe will take no more than 45 minutes of your time and is guaranteed to be a hit.
Vinaigrette
Another easy and tasty salad is Vinaigrette, which can also be found at most Russian tables.
Ingredients:
You will need.
- Beats (4)
- Carrots (3)
- Potatoes (3)
- Pickles (3-5, depending on the size)
- Onions (1)
- Green peas (canned) (half of a can)
- Sauerkraut (approximately 200 grams)
- Oil (olive, sunflower seed, canola)
Method:
- Boil potatoes, carrots and beats. Cut boiled potatoes, carrots and beats, as well as raw onions, pickles and boiled eggs into ¼ inch pieces.
- Add green peas and sauerkraut.
- Mix everything with oil, salt and pepper and the dish is ready to be eaten!
- This is a colorful salad that tastes great and has plenty of vitamins.
If you don’t feel like cooking, you can always order products that can be simply unwrapped, cut and placed on your table. At any Russian table you will always find a wide variety of cold cuts and patés, cheese, fish, and fruits and vegetables. If you really want to pleasantly surprise your guests, you can add red or black caviar, which can be pricey, but will definitely be the ‘talk of the town’ for days to come.
It is believed that Russians have the British beat in the amount of tea they drink, so no matter what you prepare for this, and other, holiday, don’t forget – a celebration is not a celebration without tea-time with Russian sweets.
For those of you who live in New York, things are made even easier – you can order prepared dishes, baked goods and sweets,beverages and anything else you may need, and have everything delivered within hours, free of charge, right to your door. Just visit us at RussianFoodUSA.com.
