Olivier Salad

My family reunion trip to Lithuania has been very gratifying.Besides seeing all my relatives I was enjoying grandma’s cooking as much as I did as a kid. Only this time I finally
payed attention to preparation to  find out what makes it taste so good. There is no celebration without the Olivier Salad in any Russian
house.  It was invented in the 1860s by a
Russian chef of Belgian origin, Lucien Olivier. The recipe had a lot of
expensive and rare ingredients. Over the time, they were replaced with cheaper
and more available produce like boiled potatoes, carrots, onions, pickles,
eggs, cooked meat  and mayo. Each cook ads
a little something to make the salad special: a sour apple, fresh cucumber, crab
meat or capers.

Here is my grandma’s version with boiled chicken. I will be posting more elaborate recipe of this famous salad during the holiday season.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. canned green peas
• 2 cups cooked chicken meat*
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 3 small potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 1 apple or fresh cucumber
• 6 cornichons
• ¾ cup plain yogurt
• ¼ cup mayo

Directions

Boil potatoes and carrots in their skins until they are soft
in the middle and let cool to room temperature. Peel and dice potatoes and
carrots and combine in a bowl.

Add diced hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cored apple and
cornichons. Drain the peas and add to the rest of the ingredients. This could
be done a few days in advance.

Then add the mayo or, for a healthier version, mixture of
mayo and plain yogurt. Decorate with fresh greens like chives or purple basil
for a splash of color.

*Many people prefer bologna or cooked beef. I prefer grilled
chicken for a smoked flavor.