Olesia was born in Russia. Here she shares a recipe for her favourite hearty Russian Salad. Olesia runs a catering company called The Dumpling Diner in Bristol.
Olesia tells us the story behind the recipe: “Olivier was a Russian chef of Belgian origin, who created the first salad of this kind. Since then, this salad has changed names and styles a ludicrous number of times! It remains a fixture on the table of almost every celebration in Russia! But it particularly reminds me of New Year’s Eve.”
Recipe:
3 Charlotte potatoes boiled in the skin (or any waxy potatoes)
1 large carrot boiled in its skin
1 large banana shallot
Small tin of preserved peas
5 boiled eggs
6 frankfurter style sausages (or Eastern European/Italian processed meats, smoked ham or British cured hams)
6 pickled gherkins
Mayonnaise (for a lighter dressing you could mix it with crême fraiche or sour cream)
Method:
- Boil the potato and carrot in their skins until they are tender. Once cool enough to handle, peel the skins off.
- Cube the carrot, potato, gherkins and ham into just under a centimetre sized pieces.
- Very finely chop the shallot
- Chop the boiled eggs. Add the tinned peas (drained).
- Mix the ingredients; add salt pepper and mayonnaise to your taste.
