Romanian salad

Beef salad/
Salata de boeuf

4-5 potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 parsley root, 1 parsnip (optional), 1 large celery root, a handful of green peas, 2 pickles, 1/2 lb/250 g poultry breast or beef sirloin, salt. For mayo: 1 hard boiled yolk, 3 raw yolks, 1/2 lb/250 g oil, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice

You get the best beef salad by boiling the vegetables with the meat (soup). Cube the potatoes and all other vegetables. The same goes for the meat and pickles. Place all in a bowl, add the peas, salt and let rest until you prepare the mayo. Sieve a hard boiled egg. Place it in a bowl. Add a little oil, mix with a spoon, add a raw yolk and add oil, a little at a time, stirring continuously in the same direction. When it starts to thicken, add another raw yolk and again oil a little at a time. Do this until all yolks and all oil is used up. Then add mustard, a little at a time and stirring continuously and the lemon juice, again stirring continuously. Add 3/4 of the mayo to the meat and vegetable mixture and mix well. Add salt if needed. Arrange on a serving platter. Smooth with a knife and then cover with the rest of the mayo. Garnish with a few olives, hard boiled egg white, or egg slices, pickled red peppers, parsley, etc. Try to shape flowers, other designs.

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Brains salad/
Salata de creier

1 beef or veal brain, juice from 1/2 lemon, 4 oz/100 g oil, salt, pepper, a few olives, parsley

Keep the brain in cold water for an hour. Remove the membrane and set to boil in warm salt water. Boil for 15-20 minutes. Let cool and then mix with oil, adding it a little at a time. Use a wooden spoon. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper, and then garnish with pitted olives and some parsley sprigs.

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Cabbage salad/
Salata de varza alba

1 medium cabbage, 2 tablespoons oil, 2-3 tablespoons vinegar, salt

Julienne the washed cabbage. Rub it with salt until soft. Squeeze excess liquid. Mix with oil, vinegar and salt (if needed). Serve with roasts.

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Cauliflower salad/
Salata de conopida

1 medium cauliflower, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, salt

Wash the cauliflower, divide in flowerets and boil in salt water. Drain and place in salad bowl. Pour a dressing made of oil, vinegar and salt on top.

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Celery and apple salad/
Salata de telina cu mere

2-3 celery roots, 2-3 apples, 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar to taste, salt

Julienne the peeled and washed celery and mix with the peeled and thinly sliced apples. Add oil, vinegar and salt.

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Dried beans salad/
Salata de fasole boabe

1/2 lb/250 dried beans, 2 tablespoons oil, 2-3 tablespoons vinegar, 1 big onion, salt, pepper

Boil and cool the beans. Drain and then mix with chopped onion. Add oil, salt, vinegar and some pepper.

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Eggplant and bellpepper salad/
Salata de vinete cu gogosari

2 big eggplants, 4 onions, 3 tablespoons oil, 1 lb/500 g tomatoes, 4 peppers, 4 bellpeppers

Prepare as for fried eggplant salad.

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Eggplant salad/
Salata de vinete

2 big eggplants, 1 onion (to taste), 3-4 tablespoons oil, a pinch of pepper (optional), salt, green pepper, tomatoes

Roast the eggplants, peel while still hot and then leave on a slanted cutting board to drain. Chop with a wooden or glass chopper, place in a bowl and then mix, using a wooden spoon, with a little oil at a time, until it whitens and becomes foamy. Add finely chopped onions (to taste), pepper and salt. Place in a a salad bowl or on a plate and garnish with tomato slices and rounds of green pepper.

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Fried eggplant salad/
Salata de vinete prajite

2 big eggplants, 5-6 onions, 5 tablespoons oil, 28 oz/750 g tomatoes, 5 roasted peppers (peeled and sliced), salt

Roast the eggplants, peel while still hot and then leave on a slanted cutting board to drain. During this time, boil the tomatoes and strain, roast the peppers, peel them and cut into very thin strips. Finely chop the onions and then fry in hot oil until soft. Add the chopped eggplants, pepper strips, tomato paste and salt. Continue frying, stirring continuously, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Arrange on a plate and serve cold.Back to Eggplant and bellpepper salad

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Fried peppers salad/
Salata de ardei prajiti

12 peppers, 5 onions, 1 lb/500 g tomatoes, 3 tablespoons oil, salt

Wash the peppers, take the cores out and cut into very narrow strips. Chop the onions and fry in hot oil until soft. Add the peppers and tomato paste made from 1 lb/500 g tomatoes. Adjust the salt and let fry at slow heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve cold.

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Green beans salad/
Salata de fasole verde

28 oz/750 g green beans, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, salt, 2 minced garlic cloves (to taste), parsley

Clean, wash and boil the beans. Drain, place in salad bowl and mix with oil, vinegar, salt and garlic to which 2-3 from the beans boiling liquid has been added. Garnish with a few sprigs of parsley.

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Health salad/
Salata Sanatatea

2 cucumbers, 2 big apples, 2 medium carrots, 2 tomatoes, one heart of a big lettuce, juice from 1/2 lemon, 2 tablespoons oil, salt

Peel and thinly slice the cucumbers and apples. Wash, clean and grate the carrots. Wash and tear the lettuce into small pieces. Mix all these with salt, lemon juice and oil. Place in the salad bowl and decorate with tomato slices.

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Leek salad/
Salata de praz

3-4 leeks, salt, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar

Wash the leeks and cut into thin rounds. Salt and add oil and vinegar.

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Potato salad I/
Salata de cartofi I

1 lb/500 g potatoes, 2 onions, 1 pickle, 1 hard boiled egg, 2-3 tablespoons oil, vinegar to taste, salt

Wash, boil, peel and let cool the potatoes. Then slice very thinly and mix with salt, thinly sliced onions, pickle rounds, oil and vinegar. Place in salad bowl and garnish with rounds of hard boiled egg. You can also add some tomato slices.

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Potato salad II/
Salata de cartofi II

14 oz/400 g potatoes, 2 onions, 1 herring, 2 oz/50 g olives, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, salt (if needed)

Wash, boil, peel and let cool the potatoes. Then slice and mix with the boned, desalted and thinly sliced herring, with the olives, chopped onions, oil and vinegar.

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Radish salad/
Salata de ridichi de luna

3-4 bunches of radishes, 1 hard boiled egg, 2-3 tablespoons sour cream, salt

Wash and thinly slice the radishes. Sieve the yolk and mix with sour cream; pour onto the radishes. Add thinly sliced egg white, salt and mix well.

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Red cabbage salad/
Salata de varza rosie

1 medium red cabbage, 2 tablespoons oil, 2-3 tablespoons vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, salt

Wash and julienne the cabbage. Mix with salt and rub with your hands until soft. Add oil, vinegar and sugar. Mix well. Another way: scald the chopped cabbage with boiling water and then let sit for 10-15 minutes. Drain and mix the cabbage with the oil, vinegar salt and sugar. Serve with roasts.

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Roasted peppers salad I/
Salata de ardei copti I

12 nice peppers, 2-3 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, salt, a few tomatoes Back to Roasted peppers salad II

Roast the peppers, turning on all sides. Place in a pan, cover with a clean cloth and then a lid and let sit for 20 minutes. Peel, arrange in salad bowl, add salt, oil and vinegar and garnish with tomato slices. Back to Salad of roasted bellpeppers

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Roasted peppers salad II/
Salata de ardei copti II

Same quantities as for roasted peppers salad I

After the peppers are roasted and have sat covered, peel and remove core and all seeds. Cut into 1 inch thick strips, place in salad bowl, add oil, vinegar an salt. Decorate with seedless tomato slices.

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Salad of roasted bellpeppers/
Salata de gogosari copti

6 big bellpeppers, 2-3 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, salt

Prepare exactly as the roasted pepper salad I

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Salt herring and onion salad/
Salata de scrumbii sarate cu ceapa

2 medium herrings, 3 big onions, 4 oz/100 g olives, 2-3 tablespoons oil, 2-3 tablespoons vinegar

Split the herrings lengthwise on their belly, remove roe and keep in tepid water for 5-6 hours. Then wash in cold water, skin them starting from the head to the tail, remove the backbone with all big bones, cut in pieces about two fingers thick and then arrange them side by side on a long platter, so that to resemble the whole fish. Peel the onions, keep them in cold water and then slice very thinly. Arrange the onion slices around the fish and on top of them the pitted olives. Pour the oil and vinegar dressing.

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Spring salad/
Salata primavara

5-6 small Boston lettuce, 2 bunches radishes, 1 bunch carrots, 4 big potatoes, 3 hard boiled eggs, 2 bunches green onions, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon confectioner's sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar, salt

Wash the lettuce, cut it in pieces, arrange in a salad bowl, add carrots, radishes and the boiled potatoes, everything sliced very thinly. Then add the sliced onions and sliced hard boiled eggs. Mix the sour cream with the lemon juice, sugar and salt. 5 minutes before serving, mix the vegetables with this dressing. You can also prepare this salad with mayo instead of sour cream. In this case, add just two sliced hard boiled eggs and prepare a mayo from the other two eggs.

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Taramasalata of salt herring roe/
Salata de icre din scrumbii sarate

Roe from one herring, 1 teaspoon grated onion, juice from 1/2 lemon, one crustless slice of moistened bread, 1/2 cup oil, 2 tablespoons club soda

Crush the roe with a fork in a small bowl. Remove the membranes and mix with the moistened and then squeezed bread. Mix in the same direction, adding the oil drop by drop. After all the oil is used up, add the grated onions, lemon juice, mix, adding the club soda last. Garnish with pitted olives cut to resemble flowers.

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Vinaigrette I/
Vinegreta I

1 small beet, 3-4 big potatoes, 1 carrot, a handful of green peas or dry beans, 1 pickle, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 onion, 3 tablespoons oil, vinegar to taste, salt

Boil separately the beet, potatoes, carrot and peas or beans. Let cool. Thinly slice the potatoes, carrot and beet and then mix with the peas or beans, chopped onion, and rounds of hard boiled eggs and pickle. Add salt, oil and vinegar. Mix well and let stand at least an hour to mix the flavors. Arrange in salad bowl. Back to Vinaigrette II


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Vinaigrette II/
Vinegreta II

1 small beet, 3-4 big potatoes, 1 carrot, a handful of green peas or dry beans, 1 pickle, 1 onion, 1 herring, 4 oz/100 g olives, 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar to taste, salt if needed

Prepare as vinaigrette I. Keep the herring in warm water for 5-6 hours, with the belly split open. Remove all bones, cut into finger thick strips and add to the salad. Arrange everything in the salad bowl and garnish with olives.


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Vitamin salad/
Salata Vitamina

1 carrot, 1 medium celery root, 2 small cucumbers, 1 big apple, 3 nice tomatoes, 5-6 ripe plums (or 2-3 tablespoons of pitted sour cherries), 1/2 cup sour cream, juice from 1/2 lemon, 1 teaspoon confectioner's sugar, salt

Clean the carrot and celery root, julienne, place in a salad bowl, add thinly sliced cucumbers and apple, peeled, seeded and sliced tomatoes, sliced plums or pitted sour cherries. Mix everything with the sour cream to which you added lemon juice, sugar and salt, just before serving.

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Zuchini salad I/
Salata de dovlecei I

3 zuchini, 1 onion (to taste), 3 tablespoons oil, vinegar (to taste), salt, pepper, tomatoes, dill

Wash and clean the zuchini, cut into pieces and set to boil in salt water. After they get soften, let drain and cool. Then squeeze dry and chop with a wooden chopper. Then place in a bowl and beat with oil just like the eggplant salad. Add finely chopped onion, pepper, salt and a little vinegar. Arrange on a plate and garnish with tomato slices and some chopped dill.

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Zuchini salad II/
Salata de dovlecei II

3-4 zuchini, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 minced garlic cloves (to taste), salt, some parsley and dill

Clean and wash the zuchini, then cut in medium sized pieces. Boil in salt water. When ready, drain, place in the salad bowl, pour oil, vinegar, garlic and 2-3 tablespoons from the boiling liquid. Garnish with some chopped parsley and dill.

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