This sour, sweet, and savoury Vinaigrette (Vinegret) Salad is a traditional recipe from Russian cuisine; it’s a delicious, hearty, and relatively healthy dish loaded with vegetables.
Hello everyone. Happy spring!
If you were visiting my blog last year, you would probably recall that I shared a lot of traditional recipes from Russian cuisine. Mostly desserts from my childhood. Let’s be completely honest: only desserts. Finally, I am sharing a savoury dish. That’s basically my premiere. (A round of loud and long applause.) Please don’t send me flowers and chocolates – money cheques would be sufficient.
Let’s go back to this Vinaigrette (Vinegret) Salad. However, while comes from the famous Vinaigrette dressing, vinegar or lemon juice are not the part of this salad. Basically, a Vinaigrette Salad (Most commonly known as Vinegret) is a combination of diced cooked vegetables, sauerkraut and (or) picked cucumbers with a little drizzle of oil.
It is a relatively healthy recipe as it features vegetables, but keep in mind that starchy vegetables, especially once cooked, have a very high glycemic index, that’s why I consider it a relatively healthy.
As I said, this salad is ubiquitous in Russia and other Post-Soviet countries. In fact, this salad is believed to have been adopted by the Russians from other Western European cuisines back in the 19th century. You can find similar recipes in German and Scandinavian cuisines. For instance, a salad with beets and herrings in common in Sweeden, and it’s super delicious!
Although there’s no the only one authentic recipe (But I believe many families claim that their “family” recipe to be the best one, right?), I’d try listing some important aspects based on my preferences.
- I would say the most important ingredients are beetroots, sauerkraut, and/or brined pickles. You can either cook beets in boiling water or roast it;
- Sour cabbage and cucumbers balance the natural sweetness of the vegetables. It’s very crucial to use the cabbage that isn’t too sweet or vinegary, so sauerkraut would be a good option. It’s harder to find pickled cucumbers that aren’t sweet though, so that won’t be a problem if you use only sour cabbage;
- In my opinion, carrots and potatoes are important components too, but many people omit them. You can do that, but I won’t recommend illuminating both carrots and potatoes as the salad needs some starch;
- Another important (but optional) ingredients are green peas or beans. My favourite salad is with green peas (It introduces freshness), but occasionally I like having it with beans which makes it more substantial;
- Many people add either finely chopped onions or scallions, but I don’t like this at all. I prefer adding either chopped dill or parsley, if available;
- Proportion. That’s a hard question – trust your intuition and taste buds. The rule of thumb is that one cup of cubed beets requires one cup of mixed potatoes and carrots, but many people take all three ingredients equally. Cabbage and picked cucumbers – that depends on how vinegary these ingredients are, and of course, your personal taste;
- We don’t usually add any seasonings except a pinch of black pepper. You can season with some salt if the cabbage (pickles) don’t bring in enough saltiness;
- We don’t use any dressing, but a little drizzle of any oil (use some aromatic kinds) will not hurt;
- Don’t serve the salad immediately, and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. Indeed, you will notice it will be only better the next day. We always make a large container of this salad and enjoy it for 2-3 days. It is absolutely safe to keep it refrigerated for 3 days; however, don’t add in the oil in this case. Instead, add a little in the amount you’re going to consume right away;
- Although the salad is high in carbs, please don’t restrain yourself from serving it with some bread. With toasted rye bread, for instance… Mmm, this is divine!
That’s everything I wanted to share about this Vinaigrette (Vinegret) Salad, and I hope you try it one day. I am also posting more Russian desserts very soon – stay tuned!
Cheers!
Notes
*This time I used only pickles.
* If you don’t mind all ingredients coloured in red – don’t worry and mix everything together! That’s not about the taste but about the visual thing.
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets
- 3 medium potatoes
- 3 medium carrots
- between 2/3 and 1 cup sauerkraut or 4-5 medium brined pickles (If you’re combining both ingredients, try 1/2 cup of sour cabbage and 2 pickles and adjust the taste if needed)*
- between 2/3 and 1 cup canned green peas or beans
- salt and pepper, optional
- olive oil, optional
Instructions
- In a medium pot, boil beets for 1 hour or until it can easily be pierced with a knife. Alternatively, roast them in the oven or even use canned (Not marinated). Cool and peel.
- Boil potatoes and carrots (separately or together) until a knife goes smoothly through the vegetables but they are not too soft. Don’t overcook -there’s nothing worse than mushy carrots! Cool and peel.
- Dice the carrots and potatoes and put in a large bowl.
- Stir in the sour cabbage or (and) pickles. Add either green peas or beans. Mix well.
- Dice the beets and add them in the end, stirring slightly – this will prevent the other ingredients from turning red. You can also add a few drops of oil in beets which is a great way to prevent colouring, too*See notes.
- Try and adjust the taste by adding more sour ingredients (cabbage or pickles) if necessary. Season to taste.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.
- When serving, drizzle with more oil, if desired. Serve with toasted bread.
- Enjoy!
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
I love seeing all your traditional Russian recipes. And I’ve loved all your desserts so far. This salad recipe is one thar is particularly up my street though. I love the colour and all those healthy vegetables! As you say I would leave this to marinate in the fridge for a while. To let all those delicious flavours mingle together. And yes, I would definitely love to serve this with some toasted rye bread. Yum!
This Vinegret salad sounds like a dance in your mouth! I love tangy salads and eat sauerkraut straight with a spoon, lol! So I know I’d love this!
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Loving the beets, Ben! I eat them a lot, but I’ve never actually used saurkraut as an ingredient in a salad. I do LOVE my saurkraut though, so I think it’s time I try this traditional recipe!
What a beautiful salad, Ben! I often have sauerkraut in my fridge, for the occasional sausage or Reuben sandwich. But putting it in a salad seems like a fantastic idea! And with beets and potatoes? It sounds wonderful, and I totally love a salad that improves with age. ?
Your Russian salad would really add color to any meal you are serving. Although different, it reminds me of a Russian potato salad that I had while living in Santo Domingo…it just didn’t have sauerkraut.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted…White Beans With Lemon Parmesan Vinaigrette
Beets, potatoes, and sauerkraut all in the same salad? I’m IN! Those are three of my favorite foods in the world. And like David, I’ve never seen a salad with kraut as an ingredient. This sounds awesome! I hope you’ll continue to share traditional Russian recipes. It’s so much fun to learn about other cuisines. (By the way, I ordered Karlson on the Roof. It hasn’t arrived yet but I’m excited to read it!)
Interesting! I’ve never seen a salad recipe that uses saurkraut as an ingredient. I’m used to topping salads or hot dogs with kraut, but I’m intrigued by this salad now! It sounds like a great option for summer picnics. And your comment about serving this one with toasted rye bread sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing this traditional Russian recipe…I learned something new today! :-)
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