Source: Belarusian cuisine. Miensk, Uradžaj, 1994. ISBN 985-04-0065-X HOME

COLD AND HOT APPETIZERS

Salads are light and nutritive appetizers. There are various products used to make salads, such as vegetables, mushrooms, meat, fish, eggs, cheese, etc.

Roots and potatoes are covered with boiling water and then are boiled over slow heat in a saucepan with a tightly closed lid.

While boiling beetroot add vinegar to keep the colour (1% of its weight). Beetroots are usually boiled for 2 hours, but this process can be hastened. After an hour of boiling (without adding vinegar) pour out broth and cover beetroots with cold water. In 15 to 20 minutes the product will be ready.

Black radish should be peeled and steeped for 15 to 20 minutes in cold water.

Salads are seasoned with vegetable oil, mayonnaise, sour cream and other seasonings.

Salad seasoning: 0.5 cup vegetable oil, 0.5 cup 3% vinegar, pepper, sugar, salt.

Sauce mayonnaise: 0.5 cup vegetable oil, 1 egg's yolk, 1 tsp mustard, salt, sugar, vinegar (to taste).

Pour out yolks of eggs into china-ware, add mustard and make a smooth mixture. Add gradually, by one teaspoon, vegetable oil and mix thoroughly. Add sugar, vinegar and again mix everything.

Horseradish sauce with sour cream: 100 g horseradish, 1 cupful sour cream, 1 tsp sugar, salt.

Shred the horseradish with a shredder, mix with the sour cream, add the salt and sugar.

Pickled onions: 1 onion, 1 tsp vegetable oil, 1 tblsp vinegar, 1 bay leaf, pepper, salt, sugar.

Peel the onions, chop the larger onions and cut the smaller ones in half. Place the onions in an enamelled saucepan, add vinegar, vegetable oil, pepper, bay leaves, heat over the fire and then cool. The prepared onions should be soft but resilient.

POTATOES WITH BEETROOTS (AN OLD DISH). 4 potatoes, 1 beetroot, 1-2 tblsps vegetable oil, 1 onion, salt.

Separately boil the potatoes and beetroots, cool, peel and cut into small cubes. Dot the beetroots with vegetable oil, add browned onions, salt and mix with potatoes.

BEETROOT SALAD WITH HERRING. 3 beetroots, 100 g herring, 0.5 onion, 4 tblsps mayonnaise, greens.

Peel and shred the boiled beetroots and onion. Dice the fleshy part of herring. Mix the vegetables with herring, place the mixture in a salad bowl, pour over mayonnaise and garnish with greens. The salad can be made without onion.

COUNTRY SALAD. 2.5 beetroots, 0.5 onion, 1 egg, 3 tblsps sour cream or mayonnaise, salt.

Boil, peel and shred the beetroots. Peel and shred the onion. Peel and chop fine the egg. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and season with sour cream or mayonnaise. Heap the salad in a dish and decorate.

BLACK RADISH WITH GOOSE FAT (AN OLD DISH). 2-3 black radishes, 1 onion, 1 tblsps goose fat, salt.

Peel and wash the black radish in cold water, then shred it with a shredder. Peel and grate the onion, mix with the black radish, moisten with melted goose fat and add the salt to taste.

FRIED BLACK RADISH WITH HONEY (OLD DISH). 2 black radishes, 2 tblsps vegetable oil, 2 tblsps honey.

Peel the black radish and soak in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. Dice the blackradish and fry in a hot skillet with vegetable oil, gradually adding the honey.

"HEALTH" SALAD. 120 g fresh cabbage, 1 carrot, 0.5 onion, 2 apples, 1 tblsp vegetable oil, 1.5 tsp sugar, spices, greens, salt.

Shred the fresh cabbage and mix thoroughly with salt and sugar. Shred the carrot and apples (without cores) with a shredder. Chop fine the onion. Mix the ingredients, add the salt, season with vegetable oil and add spices. Decorate the salad with greens.

TOMATO SALAD WITH CHEESE. 4 fresh tomatoes, 40 g cheese, 2 tblsps mayonnaise, 3-4 cloves garlic, parsley greens, pepper, salt.

Cut the tomatoes into rings. Peel and chop fine the garlic cloves. Sprinkle the tomato rings with minced garlic, salt and pepper. Shred the cheese and place over the tomatoes, season with mayonnaise and greens.

CUCUMBERS WITH HONEY (AN OLD DISH). 4 cucumbers, 50 g honey.

Cut fresh-salted or fresh cucumbers in rings and pour over with honey. Serve with pancakes or rye bread.

BELARUSIAN SALAD. 40 g boletuses, 200 g beef liver, 2 pickled cucumbers, 3 onions, 2 eggs, 0.75 cupful mayonnaise, 3 tblsps vegetable oil, pepper, greens, salt.

Wash the dried boletuses 3 or 4 times and shred them. Separately boil beef liver, chill and shred finely. Cut the onions and saute in vegetable oil. Peel the cucumbers and cut in small pieces. Mix the ingredients, add pepper, salt and half of the required mayonnaise. Before serving season the salad with the remaining mayonnaise.

CHAMPIGNON SALAD. 400 g field mushrooms, 1 onion, 1-2 eggs, 1 tblsp vegetable oil, 0.5 tsp 2% citric acid, salt.

Scrub and clean the mushrooms, remove the thin film from the caps. Wash the mushrooms, add hot water to cover, add thinned citric acid and boil until done.

Slice the boiled mushrooms and onions in half rings, season with vegetable oil, salt and pepper.

Heap in a bowl and decorate with edges of eggs.

MIENSKI SALAD. 4 potatoes, 200 g champignons, 1 onion, 200 g sauerkraut, 4 tblsps vegetable oil, 0.5 tsp 2% citric acid, 1 tsp sugar, greens, salt.

Prepare the champignons as described in the previous recipe. Boil potatoes in their jackets, dice and mix them with shredded sauerkraut and champignons, add the sugar, vegetable oil and salt. Decorate the salad with greens.

MUSHROOM CAVIAR. 450 pickled mushrooms, 1 onion, 3 tblsps vegetable oil, greens, pepper, salt.

Put the pickled mushrooms through a mincer together with fried onions, add the pepper and salt. Mix thoroughly. Heap in a salad bowl and sprinkle with minced greens.

APPETIZER FROM CHAMPIGNONS. 600 g champignons, 2 tblsps flour, 1 egg, 3 tblsps bread crumbs, vegetable oil, salt.

Prepare the fresh champignons and boil until half done. Cool them, roll in flour, brush with egging, roll in bread crumbs and fry in a large amount of vegetable oil. Serve cooled.

HARADZIENSKI SALAD. 100 g boiled beef, 200 g cabbage, 1 onion, 3 tomatoes, 4 tblsps mayonnaise, greens, salt.

Slice the boiled beef. Cut fresh tomatoes into small wedges and slice onions in half rings. Chop fine the fresh cabbage and add some salt. Mix the ingredients and season with a part of mayonnaise, add salt to taste. Heap in a salad bowl, pour over the remaining mayonnaise and decorate with slices of boiled meat, wedges of tomatoes and greens.

"PAPARAĆ-KVIETKA" (FERN FLOWER) SALAD. 100 g ham, 100 g boiled beef, 3 tomatoes, 3 cucumbers, 1.5 onion, 4 tblsps mayonnaise, greens, salt.

Slice the boiled beef. Cut the ham, cucumbers and tomatoes into shoestrings, mince the onion finely. Mix the ingredients, add the salt, and season with a part of mayonnaise. Heap the salad in a bowl, pour over the remaining mayonnaise and decorate with greens.

MAHILEÚ SALAD. 100 g boiled beef, 200 black radish, 1 onion, 2 eggs, 4 tblsps mayonnaise, greens, 1 carrot, pepper, salt.

Slice the boiled beef. Cut the onion in half rings, cut the carrot and black radish into shoestrings, mince the eggs finely. Mix the ingredients, add salt, pepper and mayonnaise. Decorate the salad with greens.

LIVER SALAD. 200 g boiled liver, 3 potatoes, 1 pickled cucumber, 1.5 onion, salad seasoning, greens.

Separately boil the liver and potatoes and dice finely. Cut the pickled cucumbers and onions into shoestrings. Mix the ingredients, add the salad seasoning. Heap the salad in a bowl, decorate with greens.

CHICKEN SALAD WITH MUSHROOMS. 150 g chicken fillet, 250 g boiled mushrooms, 30 g cheese, 2 eggs, 1 pickled cucumber, 1.6 onion, 1 tblsp vegetable oil, 4 tblsps mayonnaise, greens, salt.

Cut the boiled chicken fillet, mushrooms and pickled cucumbers into shoestrings. Mince fine the hard-boiled eggs. Shred the onion and saute in the vegetable oil. Shred the cheese with a shredder. Mix the ingredients, add the salt and a part of mayonnaise. Heap the salad in a bowl and pour over the remaining mayonnaise. Decorate the salad with the slices of chicken fillet, eggs and greens.

"CHATNI" [KHATNI] (HOME-MADE) SALAD. 250 g fish, 2 eggs, 1 onion, 4 tblsps mayonnaise, greens, salt.

Dress the fish, heat the fillet over slow fire, add the bay leaf, pepper and onion, then cool it and slice. Mince the hard-boiled eggs, shred the onion, mix with fish fillet, add the salt and season with mayonnaise.

Heap the salad in a bowl, decorate with minced eggs and greens.

BARYSAÚSKI SALAD. 150 g boiled fish, 2 beetroots, 40 g cheese, 1 egg, 1 onion, 4 tblsps mayonnaise, greens, salt.

Prepare the fish (see recipe "Chatni Salad"). Boil hard the egg. Slice the boiled beetroots and cheese, shred the onion. Add the salt and mix the ingredients. Season the salad with mayonnaise and heap in a salad bowl. Decorate with beetroot slices, minced egg and greens.

"NAVINA" SALAD. 250 g tinned fish, 2 boiled eggs, 2 tblsps boiled rice, 1 pickled cucumber, 2 tblsps mayonnaise, greens, salt.

Mince the tinned fish, mix with minced eggs, boiled rice and pickled cucumbers cut in cubes. Add the salt and season with mayonnaise. Heap the salad in a bowl and decorate with minced eggs and greens.

HERRING SALAD. 100 g herring fillet, 70 g cheese, 3 boiled eggs, 1 onion, 4 tblsps mayonnaise.

Slice the herring fillet, cut the onion in half rings, shred the cheese with a shredder. Mix the ingredients and season with mayonnaise. Heap the salad in a bowl and decorate with minced eggs and greens. The salad can be made also without the cheese.

ZAKUSAČNY SALAD WITH HERRING. 40 g herring fillet, 1 carrot, 100 g cheese, 2 tblsps butter, greens.

Put the herring fillet, boiled carrot and cheese through a mincer, add the butter and mix. Place the mixture in a herring-dish and decorate with butter and greens.

"ASOBY" (SPECIAL) SALAD. 250 tinned fish, 2 eggs, 2 tblsps green peas, 40 g cheese, 2 tblsps mayonnaise, greens.

Mince the tinned fish. Cut the cheese in small cubes. Mince the boiled eggs. Mix the ingredients, add green peas and mix again. Season with the salt, mayonnaise, heap the salad in a bowl and decorate with greens.

FISH HAŁKI (FISH BALLS). 600 g fish, 1 onion, 1 tblsp potato flour, 0.5 cupful milk or water, 2 tblsps horseradish sauce, pepper, salt.

Clean, wash thoroughly and bone the fish (zander, codfish, hake etc.). Put it together with onion through a mincer, add potato flour, salt, pepper, milk or water and mix well. Shape the mixture into balls (two or three making one serving), boil in salt water and drain in a colander. Serve hot or cold with horseradish sauce.

AMATARSKI LOAF. 850 g pork, 250 g cheese, 250 smoked bones ham, spices, salt.

Cut the shoulder pork into pieces, pound slightly, add the salt and pepper. Slice the cheese, place the slices evenly on pounded pork and cover with pieces of smoked bones ham. Shape it into a roll, tie up and fry in the oven until done. Cool the loaf and put it under a press for 3 to 4 hours. Before serving slice the loaf.

STUFFED LIVER, HOMIEL MANNER. 500 g beef liver, 60 g salted pork fat, 2 onions, 3-4 tblsps vegetable oil, 1 carrot, 1 root of parsley or celery, pepper, 1 tblsp flour, salt.

Wash the beef liver, remove the film and bile ducts, slice in layers 1.5 cm thick. Over it place a layer of pounded salted pork fat, not over 0.5 cm thick, cover it with a layer of slightly browned onions. Add the salt, pepper, roll into a loaf, tie up, roll in flour and drop into boiling vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes. As soon as the loaf becomes browned, transfer it into a deep dish and continue stewing until it is done in a little water to which onions, carrots, parsley or celery have been added. When done, place the loaf under a light press to give it the desired shape. Before serving slice the loaf and place it in a dish.

NIOMANSKAJA APPETIZER. 750 g beef, 750 g pork, 50 g caraway seeds, pepper, salt.

Put the beef and pork through a mincer, add the salt, pepper and caraway seeds. Transfer the mixture to parchement, shape it in a long loaf, tie up and boil. When done, cool it and place it under a light press. Before serving slice the loaf.

EGGS STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS. 4 eggs, 20 g dried boletuses, 1 onion, 1 tblsp boiled butter, 2 tsps mayonnaise, 2 tsps sour cream, 2 tsps sauce "Paúdniovy", greens, salt.

Wash the dried boletuses thoroughly, soak them for 3-4 hours until they swell, then wash them again. For boiling place them into the water in which they swelled, add 3% vinegar and boil until done. Use hard-boiled eggs, remove shells, cut off the blunt end of each egg and take out the yolks. Shred the boiled mushrooms, fry and blend with fried onions and yolk, add the salt. Fill the centre of the whites with this mixture. Arrange them in a salad-dish and cover with the cut-off tops. Pour over the sauce, garnish with greens and serve.

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