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salads

Roasted Eggplant And Tomato Salad

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Eggplant was an exotic vegetable for me growing in mild
summers of Lithuania but this didn’t stop my mom from trying. She sacrificed the
place for full-proof cucumbers in the green house and planted a few  sprouts of an eggplant. They grew so well
that we ended up giving them away! I personally was fascinated by the color:
deep as a moonless summer sky.

This salad combines fresh and baked vegetables. Baking helps
to reduce the amount of oil the vegetable absorbs during sautéing. Fresh juicy  tomatoes bring a little sour notes, baked
garlic  add a smoky flavor and add herbs
add some zesty aroma! Perfect for picnics or a side dish for a dinner table.

Makes 4 servings

Cooking time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes baking

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium size eggplants
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2-3 tomatoes
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 3 spears of green onions
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley

  • ¼ cup chopped

    cilantro

  • Salt and pepper to taste

    • Directions

    Preheat the oven to 320°F. Wash the vegetables. Poke holes in eggplants and peppers before
    baking to allow steam to escape. Cut off the top of the garlic glove, poor a
    table spoon of olive oil on top, sprinkle some salt and wrap in foil. Place on the baking wrack and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the
    green top of the eggplant becomes soft. 

    When the vegetables are ready place them in a paper bag
    while hot to sweat for 15 minutes. This will help  with the peeling.

    Meanwhile, hull the stems from your tomatoes and slice a
    shallow “X” in the top and bottom. Submerge in a hot water for 45-60
    seconds.  Watch for their skins to start
    to wrinkle and split, then scoop them
    out with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the ice water bath. Once cooled,
    transfer the tomatoes to a cutting board and dice. 

    Peel the cooled eggplants, bell peppers and garlic. Dice
    into small cubes. Add chopped herbs. Combine all the ingredients and add a little bit if salt,
    pepper and a table spoon of olive oil. Serve warm or cold. 

    Shuba – Pickled Herrings Salad

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    In Russia it is so cold that even food (pickled herrings) wears a fur coat (shuba). And it is not a luxury: it is a necessity. This dish is also known as Herring under Fur Coat Salad. It consists of finely chopped layers of carrots, potatoes, beets, onions and herrings with a layer of mayo in between. It might sounds bizarre till you take the first bite. Also, the dish looks beautiful when sliced.
    I have to admit, I have never made this dish myself since deboning the fish is very messy and requires a lot of patience. Likely, I found some pickled herring fillets in my grocery store. I used the leftovers to make canapes as an appetizer.

    Cooking time: 1 hour + time for chilling

    Servings: 6

    Ingredients:

    • 3 medium size potatoes
    • 4 medium carrots
    • half chopped onion
    • 2 medium beets
    • 1 cup of mayo
    • 1 hard-boiled egg
    • half chopped red or yellow onion
    • 0.5 lb. pickled herring fillets in oil
    • dill for garnish

    Directions

    Steam or boil the vegetables in their skins: carrots for 20
    minutes,  potatoes and beets for 30-40
    minutes. Remove the vegetables when they are fork tender but not too soft. Cool
    completely in some cold water for 5-7 minutes. It will also help with peeling.

    Grate the carrots and beets. Dice into small pieces the
    potatoes and the herrings fillets. Prepare the onions by chopping them finely and soak in a
    cold water for 10 minutes to soften the taste.

    Find a flat serving plate or a glass 9×9 inch

    baking dish. I did individual portions so I layered directly into serving plates. 

    Start with the layer of herrings, then goes the drained onions. Spread  ¼ cup of mayo on top. Place diced potatoes and another ¼ cup of mayo. Finish with carrots. For the last layer I mix the beets with the leftover mayo separately and spread the mixture op top to cover the top and edges, forming a dome-like shape. Refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight.

    Decorate with a crumbled yolk and some greens like dill or
    parsley.

    Vinegret –Winter Salad

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    This vegetarian dish is a classic meal during the winter
    holiday season: it has variety of root and pickled vegetables. Most people make
    this salad with home-made pickled cabbage but I use Britt’s Pickles sauerkraut that works
    great. Despite the unusual combination the salad tastes more like sweet and
    sour and has a bright purple color thanks to beets.  It works great as an appetizer or a side dish
    for a hearty meal. You can make it ahead of time and keep in the fridge for up
    to 3 days.

    Ingredients:

    • 5 small potatoes
    • 3 medium beets
    • 2 medium carrots
    • 2 pickles
    • ½ cup sauerkraut
    • ¼ red onion
    • A few springs of chopped dill
    • 2 Tbs. capers
    • 1.5 tsp. Dijon mustard
    • 1 Tbs. apple vinegar
    • 2-3  Tbs. olive oil

    Directions

    Steam or boil vegetables in their skins: carrots for 20
    minutes,  potatoes and beets for 30-40
    minutes.

    Once vegetables are done, cool them in some cold water for
    5-7 minutes. It will also help with peeling.

    Meanwhile, marinate finely chopped onion in vinegar. Make
    the dressing by whisking olive oil and mustard together. Salt and pepper to taste.

    When vegetables get cooled peel the skins and chop
    everything into small cubes. Add chopped pickles, whole capers and strained
    sauerkraut. Incorporate the dressing and chill in a fridge for up to 3 days.

    Olivier Salad

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    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.