Category: Salad

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.

Tuna Salad with French Beans

  • One of my friends from Leeds came round yesterday with freshly picked produce from her allotment.
  • Green & Purple French beans were amongst them.
  • I topped and tailed these and steamed them.
  • Sadly the beautiful purple ones loose their colour and are just a slightly darker green than the others.
  • I served some of them with buttered dried breadcrumbs – à la Polonaise and
  • Used the rest, cold, in this tinned tuna salad with other ingredients I had in my store cupboard and freezer. 
  • The proportions are not so important.

Ingredients

  • 1 tin of tuna chunks- in brine or oil
  • Crisp lettuce leaves 
  • Steamed French beans
  • Cooked peas
  • Cooked sweetcorn – frozen or tinned
  • 2 hard boiled eggs
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

  • Chop the French beans into small pieces.
  • Mix these with the peas and sweetcorn
  • Drain the tuna from the brine or oil and break up the chunks.
  • Mix the tuna with the cooked vegetables.
  • Add the lemon juice and mayonnaise and mix well.
  • Season to taste.
  • Shred the lettuce leaves.
  • Arrange lettuce leaves over a large plate plate or a shallow bowl.
  • Place the tuna mixture on top of the lettuce leaves.
  • Chop the hard boiled eggs into small pieces and sprinkle these over the top of the tuna mixture.