Vegetarians, vegans and healthy eaters rejoice! This recipe is among my favorites because it is nutritious, delicious, and fairly hard to mess up. You can either serve it by itself, use it as a salad, or even a side dish with any meat or fish.

There is no consensus on the internet regarding the origins of this dish but most sources tend to agree that it was probably borrowed from Germany around 19^th century. The details of the story get really fuzzy when it comes to the name. Supposedly, the emperor’s chef, who was French, asked if the dish contained vinegar and the people making it nodded in agreement saying “vinegret, vinegret” – since then this salad officially became known as vinegret. Go figure…

Before we begin, lets gear up! Get out a big pot, a cutting board, a knife, and an apron (unless you are OK with beet stains on your clothes). Next, we’ll gather up the ingredients (this recipe make about 8 servings).

Ингредиенты:

2 большие или 4 маленькие свеклы

3-4 большие картофелины

1 банка зеленого горошка

половина луковицы (или 2-3 стрючка зеленого лука)

от ¼ до ½ стакана кислой капусты (можно заменить укропом и/или петрушкой)

Заметка: на фото показана петрушка, так как у меня не было кислой капусты, но вообще я предпочитаю винегрет с кислой капустой

3 ст. л. оливкового или подсолнечного масла

3 соленых огурца

соль, перец на вкус

от ¼ до 1 ч. л. уксуса, по желанию

Приготовление:

1. Помойте свеклу и картошку. Если свекла крупная, разрежьте на четвертинки. Отварите картошку и свеклу в кожуре; варите до тех пор, пока вилка не будет с легкостью входить внутрь. Обратите внимание на то, что свекла иногда варится дольше, поэтому время от времени проверяйте овощи вилкой.

2. Пока картошка и свекла готовятся, мелко нарежьте лук и соленые огурцы. В большой миске смешайте лук, горошек, огурцы и капусту (или укроп с петрушкой).

3. Когда картошка и свекла будут готовы, выложите их на разделочную доску до полного остывания. Затем очистите и мелко нарежьте, как показано на фото.

4. Смешайте свеклу и картошку с остальными ингридиентами. Добавте масло, соль,перец и уксус по вкусу.

5. Охладите от 1 до 2 часов.

Приятного аппетита!

Ingredients:

2 large or 4 small beets

3-4 large potatoes

1 regular can of peas

½ medium onion (or 2-3 spring of green onion)

¼ to ½ cup sauerkraut (preferably Russian style) or dill/parsley to taste

Note: you see parsley in the photo because I did not have any sauerkraut at the time, but I personally like it better with sauerkraut.

3 Tbsp. olive or sunflower oil

3 pickles (or 5-6 pickle spears)

salt and pepper to taste

¼ to 1 tsp vinegar, optional

Preparation:

1. Start by washing beets and potatoes. If using large beets, cut in quarters. Boil potatoes and beets (skin on) in a large pot until the fork goes in easily. Keep in mind, beets might take longer to cook, so check your veggies periodically.

2. While potatoes and beets are cooking, finely chop the onions and pickles. In a large bowl combine onions, peas, pickles, and sauerkraut (or dill/parsley)

3. Once potatoes and beets are cooked, lay them out on a cutting board to cool off. Once cool, peel the skin off and cut in small pieces, as shown. 

4. Mix beets and potatoes with the rest of the ingredients. Add oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste.

5. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Note: винегрет is usually best the next day, once the flavors had a chance to marry :-). The nonsense on Wikipedia page about it not being safe the next day is very aggravating. Ugh….

Enjoy!