Category: Salad

Radish Salad – A Different Way

I usually cut radishes into small circles to use in salads.

See my recipes in Summer Salads.

One of my Polish friends came round and used them in a different way.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch of radishes

2 – 3 tablespoonfulls of Greek yoghurt

Salt and pepper to taste.

METHOD

Use a fine grater to grate all the radishes.

Mix the grated radishes with the yoghurt.

Season to taste.

Super on their own or with other salad items such as lettuce.

Swedish Cucumbers

  • I came across this recipe in a fellow bloggers post.
  • Her blog is Thistes & Kiwis – about life in Wellington, New Zealand.
  • This lady is half Polish, has lived in Scotland and Sweden –
  • She now lives in New Zealand.
  • I did a little research around this recipe and have adjusted it slightly.
  • I tested this out on one of my Polish friends – she thought it was super and has been making it already.
  • Now cucumbers – ogórki – are well loved in Poland.
  • They are usually the short knobbly ones, which you do not find often in England.
  • They are fermented or pickled in Poland.
  • This recipe uses what are known as salad cucumbers –
  • These are the ones most commonly found for sale or grown in gardens in England.
  • *
  • This dish is called pressgurka – a word which has similarities to English and Polish. (press and ogórki)
  • In Sweden it is often served with meatloat – klops or meat patties – kotlety.
  • I did not have any cooking when I was making this but I am sure it would be wonderful.
  • I served it with warm cooked liver and with egg mayonaise and anchovy sandwiches.
  • You could describe this as sweet & sour.
  • It will keep for a few days in the fridge should you have any left.
  • As my amounts are for 1 cucumber – I would make this afresh when needed.
  • Use a mandoline to cut or the side of a grater or a cheese slicer.
  • If you are good at cutting very thin slices then cut the cucumber with a sharp knife.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 salad cucumber
  • Large pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • 3 tablespoons of white wine or cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons of water
  • *
  • Can add some dill flowerheads or caraway seeds at the end

METHOD

  • Peel about half of the skin off the cucumber – lengthwise.
  • Slice the cucumber very thinly.
  • Place the cucumber on a flat plate.
  • Sprinkle with a large pinch of salt.
  • Place a piece of kitchen roll on top.
  • Plate another flat plate on top and put some weights on this (or a couple of tins).
  • Leave this for at least 30 minutes.
  • Remove the kitchen roll.
  • Put the cucumbers into a large sieve and remove the liquid.
  • Dry up the cucumbers with some more kitchen roll or use a clean tea towel.
  • Put the cucumbers into a bowl.
  • Put the sugar, vinegar and water into a small pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissoved.
  • Simmer a minute.
  • Pour the mixture over the cucumbers and stir well.
  • Leave until cool before serving.
  • *
  • Put any leftovers into a lided jar – can keep for a day or two.

Bavaria china dish, Meakin plate & Royal Doulton plate.

Fruity Rice Salad

  • This salad is super on a warm day – good to be eating it outside.
  • I have served it up with cold meats, Polish sausage or roast chicken or pork.
  • It is a cold salad 

INGREDIENTS

  • Cold cooked rice
  • 1 tin of pineapples – chopped
  • 1 red skinned apple – Pink lady is good – chopped
  • 80g of raisins or sultanas
  • *
  • Mint leaves to garnish

Method

  • Drain the pineapples – keep the juice.
  • Soak the raisins in the pineapple juice for at least 20 minutes.
  • In a large bowl – mix the rice, pineapples, apples and soaked dried fruit.
  • Include all the juice from the soaked dried fruit.
  • Add a touch of ground black pepper – optional.
  • *
  • Garnish the salad with some fresh mint leaves.

 

Tomato Salad 2

  • This is a variation on my tomato salad, which my friend told me about.
  • Like my tomato salad but with soured cream dressing.
  • Mama never made it like this – maybe it is from a different part of Poland?
  • It tastes very nice.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 large ripe tomatoes – home grown are the best
  • 1 large onion
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 125 – 250ml of soured cream
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Chopped chives or garlic chives to garnish

METHOD

  • Slice the tomatoes thinly.
  • Slice the onion thinly.
  • Mix the tomatoes and onions together.
  • Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Arrange on a dish.
  • Cover with lemon juice.
  • Cover with soured cream to taste.
  • Garnish with chopped chives or garlic chives.
  • Mix the soured cream with the salad as you serve it.

Yoghurt Cheese Salad

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g of full fat twaróg or yoghurt cheese
  • Bunch of radishes – finely sliced
  • 1 large gherkin – chopped into small cubes
  • Bunch of spring onions – finely chopped – white and green parts
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • *
  • Some Greek style yoghurt or soured cream – may be needed to loosen up the cheese.
  • OPTIONAL
  • ½ fresh cucumber – peeled, deseeded and chopped into small cubes.

METHOD

  • Mix the twaróg or yoghurt cheese with the radishes, gherkins and spring onions.
  • Add the cucumber if using.
  • Add the yoghurt or soured cream if needed.
  • Season to taste.

Salad Dressing

  • This is a variation on a traditional salad dressing.
  • Mayonnaise is often used especially on cabbage salads (coleslaw).
  • I often mix in some Greek style yoghurt.
  • *
  • I was given this variation last week and it does add a nice little kick.
  • *
  • Equal Amounts of Mayonnaise: Greek Yoghurt: Cream of Horseradish Sauce.
  • *
  • 2  tablespoons of each should be more than enough for a whole shredded cabbage.
  • *
  • Full fat for both the mayonnaise and yoghurt is the best.
  • *
  • Not tested  – but I am sure this will go well with boiled potato salad.

Salads in Bavarian China

NOTE

  • The horseradish does become milder and losses it kick if left for a longer time eg overnight.
  • Best to add this dressing about an hour before the salads are needed so any fruits and nuts soften but the horseradish still has the kick. 

Pear & Walnut Salad

  • A very simple and slightly sweet salad.
  • Good with hot roast meats, chicken or duck.
  • Or even serve as a light lunch with bread and butter.

Ingredients

  • 2 large pears – peeled and chopped.
  • 100g walnuts – chopped
  • 100g crumbly white cheese – dry twaróg, Wensleydale or Lancashire
  • Mixed salad or shredded lettuce
  • *
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon of honey
  • 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil

Method

  • Put the salad leaves or lettuce at the base of the serving dish.
  • Mix the pears and walnuts together.
  • Put these on top of the salad leaves.
  • Crumble the cheese on top.
  • Mix the dressing together and pour over the top.
  • Mix the salad together and serve.

Mixed Vegetable Sałatka – another version

  • This recipe is a slightly different take on the classic Polish mixed vegetable salad.
  • Rather than potatoes, I used boiled parsnips and carrots.
  • This is a salad you can tinker with often – depending on the ingredients you have at hand. 

Ingredients

  • 2 – 3 cooked carrots cut onto small pieces
  • 2-3 cooked parsnips cut into small pieces
  • 1-2 gherkins cut into small pieces
  • Bunch of spring onions cut into small pieces
  • 3-4 hardboiled eggs – cut into small chunks
  • 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise 
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

  • Mix all the vegetable together.
  • Add the mayonnaise and mix all together.
  • Season to taste.
  • Place in a dish.
  • Add the eggs and spring onions on top.
  • Mix together when serving.

The dish is Freiberg – Cordoflam made in East Germany.

Tuna Salad – Mostly New World

  • This salad is based mostly on vegetables that came from the New World.
  • It is very colourful.
  • The proportions are not so important – I have given what I used.
  • It is best to use a different colour for the pepper to the chilli so you can tell the difference.

Ingredients

  • 1 tin of Tuna – drained
  • 1 avocado – peeled and sliced or chopped
  • *
  • 1 tin of Beans – Cannellini, Pinto or Mixed – drained
  • 4 tomatoes – chopped
  • 1 small tin of sweetcorn – drained (or cooked frozen sweetcorn)
  • Yellow or Orange Pepper – chopped
  • 2 red chillies – chopped fine
  • 1 bunch of spring onions – white and green parts chopped
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste.

Method

  • In a large bowl mix all the vegetables except the avocado.
  • Pour over the lemon juice and olive oil and season.
  • Put the ingredients into a large serving dish.
  • Put the avocado and tuna on top and mix in slightly.

Dish is Cadiz by Meakin – 1964 – 1970

Another Celery Salad

  • I was making a quick lunch with some Polish smoked mackerel and wanted to make a couple of salads to go with it. 
  • I had some celery stems and though I would make my easy celery & peanut salad with sultanas.  This is in an earlier post Seler – Celeriac – Celery
  • I suddenly realised that I did not have any salted peanuts so decided to improve and use an apple with the celery, which are two of the ingredients of Waldorf Salad.
  • It turned out very well and will be going on my list of easy standby salads.

Ingredients

  • 4- 5 celery stems
  • 80g of sultanas
  • 1 large eating apple eg Pink Lady
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise 

Method

  • Trim the celery stems and cut into fine slices.
  • Core the apple and cut into small pieces.
  • Mix the celery, apples and sultanas together.
  • Pour the lemon juice over the mixture.
  • Add mayonnaise mix well together.