Classic Olivier
8 servings
180 minutes
It's even a bit awkward to talk about which recipe is classic and which is not, in the case of Olivier. Because the salad that the Frenchman (or Belgian - there are even discrepancies here) Lucien Olivier invented for the Moscow restaurant " Hermitage" is not archived anywhere for sure. Well, the author did not write it down on a napkin, or in a notebook - nowhere. Someone saw something, someone seemed to be standing behind him while Olivier was cutting vegetables. But there is no exact data. Therefore, in this case, the classic can be considered not the pre-revolutionary recipe with lanspik, hazel grouse and crayfish necks, but the Soviet one - with boiled meat and mayonnaise. This is the salad that our grandmothers and mothers prepared for the New Year, and our goal is to reproduce that same taste from childhood. Here is the most canonical of the existing recipes, with all the details and without later additions like a green apple, fresh cucumber or sour cream dressing.
1
First, the meat should be boiled; it's better to do this in advance. Boil 1.5–2 liters of salted water in a pot and add the meat. The water should cover the meat by 3–4 cm so that it doesn't need to be topped up during cooking and there isn't too much water for the flavor of the meat to escape into the broth.
- Beef: 500 g
2
Immediately reduce the heat, bring the water to a boil and cook the meat at a minimal simmer for about 1.5 hours. Then let the meat cool in the broth and put the pot in the refrigerator until salad cutting.
3
Boil the vegetables. Place a large pot on the fire, filling it with water about 2/3 full. Meanwhile, wash the potatoes and carrots well with a brush without peeling them. When the water boils, add the vegetables, reduce the heat, and cook for about 30–40 minutes.
- Potato: 3 pieces
- Carrot: 3 pieces
4
Check the readiness of the vegetables by poking the largest ones with a toothpick - it should easily penetrate the flesh.
5
Drain the water, you can cool the potatoes directly in the pot, but it's better to transfer the carrots to cold water immediately to preserve their color.
6
Boil the eggs separately: place them in cold water, bring to a boil, and after 1 minute reduce the heat. Boil for 7-8 minutes, no longer, to avoid overcooking; otherwise, the yolk will turn gray and the white will become rubbery.
- Chicken egg: 5 piece
7
Immediately place the eggs in cold water, let them sit, and then peel.
8
Start assembling the salad. Peel the potatoes and carrots, and cut them into 5 mm cubes.
9
Cut the eggs and beef into the same cubes (remove any sinews and fat from the meat).
10
Chop the onion into small cubes.
- White onion: 1 head
11
Chop green onions and dill finely.
- Spring onion: 5 piece
- Dill: 1 bunch
12
Mix all prepared ingredients, add pepper, dress with mayonnaise and put in the refrigerator. The salad will taste better if allowed to sit for at least 12 hours.
- Mayonnaise: 250 g
13
Cut the pickles in half, removing the seeds if they are large. Then chop the cucumbers into cubes like potatoes and carrots, place them in a separate container, and put them in the fridge.
- Pickled cucumbers: 5 piece
14
Right before serving, open the can of peas, drain its contents in a colander, let the liquid drip off, and add the peas to the salad. Also add chopped pickles.
- Canned green peas: 450 g
15
Mix the salad, taste it, and if needed, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
