Ensaladilla Rusa

    Ensaladilla Rusa - or Russian Salad- is, believe it or not, the Spanish tapa par excellence!  Along with the potato omelet, you can find this plate in almost every bar and restaurant, but also in every home.  Each family prepares the ensaladilla a little different adding their own special touch, but almost all of them will have potatoes, eggs, tuna, peas, carrots, and mayonnaise.
    Our neighbors in the U.S. happen to be from Russia, and when we invited them over for tapas and prepared the Ensaladilla Rusa, they were quite surprised to learn that it was such a popular dish in Spain. But they explained to us that most salads in Russia are dressed with mayonnaise which explains the name.  I did some research online and it seems like the dish was brought to Spain by a French guy who worked in a restaurant in Russia.  Anyhow, this dish, Russian or not, is wonderful and one of the most popular tapas in Spain.   

 

Here’s what you will need:

MATERIALS:

-          Big pot to boil the potatoes and carrots

-          Small pot to hard boil the eggs

-          Big bowl to mix ingredients

-          Bowl or plate to serve

INGREDIENTS:

-          3-4 large potatoes

-          2 carrots

-          2 large eggs

-          A can of tuna in water or olive oil (5 oz)

-          Mayonnaise

-          Green olives (optional)

-          Roasted red peppers (optional)

 HOW TO PREPARE IT:

1.       Start by boiling the 2 eggs and put them aside to cool.  When ready, chop them in small pieces.

2.       Heat up water in the big pot to boil the vegetables.

3.       Peel and clean the potatoes.  Cut them in small cubes.

4.       Do the same with the carrots but dice them in smaller cubes than the potatoes.

5.       When the water starts boiling, add the potatoes and carrots and boil for about 12 min (keep checking the consistency of the potatoes, you don’t want to overcook them)

6.       When ready, drain the veggies and let them cool before mixing with the other ingredients.

 

7.       In a big bowl mix together the veggies, tuna, eggs and mayonnaise.  You can also add chopped green olives or save them to decorate the plate.

 

 

 

8.       Once all the ingredients are mixed, put it on a serving bowl or plate and cover with a thin layer of mayonnaise.

 

9.       To decorate it you can use some grated egg yolk from the eggs you boiled earlier, olives, or roasted red peppers as I did.

Enjoy!