Vinaigrette is an affordable, simple and very healthy salad for every day. The bright taste of vinaigrette largely depends on the quality of the vegetables included in its composition. So what vegetables is vinaigrette made from? The main vegetable is beets. Beetroot contains:
- Fiber necessary for digestion processes;
- B vitamins, which have a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems;
- Folic acid, which is considered an essential vitamin for women planning and carrying a pregnancy;
- A large number of microelements: potassium, iodine, iron, sulfur and others;
- Antioxidants that prevent aging of the body.
Beetroot has a unique property - all the beneficial substances it contains are preserved intact both raw and cooked. Therefore, beets in vinaigrette are not only tasty, but also extremely beneficial for the body.
Vinaigrette: choosing beets for salad
Features of choosing beets
Beets usually have the longest cooking time (2-3 hours), so we wondered how to speed up this process, as well as how to prepare the most delicious beets for vinaigrette and prepared a few recommendations:
- Choose small specimens. In order for the vegetable to cook faster, it should be small or medium in size.
- Try baking beets in the microwave or oven: wrap in a baking bag and cook for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. By the way, baked beets are considered more tasty and sweet.
- Do not violate the integrity of the root crop: do not cut off the tail and do not peel the beets raw. If you do this, the vegetable will absorb a lot of liquid and will be watery and less bright.
- Do not add salt to the water for cooking beets.
- To maintain the bright burgundy color of the beets, after boiling, add 1/2 tsp. citric acid into the water in which the vegetable is boiled.
- After cooking, always cool the root vegetables under cold water, in addition to completing the cooking process, the beets will be easier to peel.
Vinaigrette: step-by-step recipe with photos
The vinaigrette recipe also includes boiled carrots and potatoes. We recommend cooking all the vegetables for the vinaigrette in separate saucepans. This way, different vegetables will not absorb the smells and tastes of their neighbors. To keep the potatoes white, add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the water when cooking.
It is more convenient to peel vegetables when they are warm, then the skin will come off easily. But it’s better to cut them cold, after some time spent in the refrigerator. Cold pieces of chopped vegetables will not stick together.
Vinaigrette is usually seasoned with aromatic unrefined sunflower oil, but there are variations on the theme of dressing for this salad in the form of a mixture of oil with mustard, vinegar, garlic or spices.
Vinaigrette is a dietary snack or a complete lunch. Therefore, this dish can often be found on the menu of people who want to lose weight.
So, let's start preparing the vinaigrette according to the classic recipe.
Sewing
There is also another interesting technique for preparing vegetables (not only them, you can do meat, fish, anything) - poaching. This is slow simmering in liquid, I do it in oil. But I would call this a semi-professional technique, it will require precise temperature control, so you need to know your stove well and be able to maintain a stable temperature on it, and you will need a thermometer.
From mayonnaise to vegetable oil. Rating of healthy salad dressings Read more
Pour 3-4 centimeters of vegetable oil into a deep form, heat it to 80 degrees and throw vegetables, cut into small cubes, into it. And simmer them within 80-95 degrees. For example, carrots, cut into 1×1 centimeter cubes, are cooked in 7-12 minutes at a temperature of 95 degrees. That is, after 7 minutes in oil, you test the readiness with a toothpick and bring it to the desired softness for another 5 minutes. The carrots turn out very juicy and crispy.
The potatoes will take a little longer to cook and contain more starch.
This way you can fry onions, fish, meat. But we must take into account that oil absorbs all odors very well, and if you put the vegetables to be cooked in the same oil where you fried the fish before, then the oil will absorb the aroma and it will be even stronger than if you just put potatoes in one pan after the fish were fried. Therefore, it is better to pour out the oil for fish and cook it separately.
Vinaigrette: classic recipe
The number of vegetables implies medium-sized specimens. This option uses the most common method of cooking vegetables - boiling them in water. Use aromatic homemade sunflower oil as a salad dressing. It will come in handy here.
You will need:
- Beets - 5 pcs;
- Carrots - 3-4 pcs;
- Potatoes - 5 pcs;
- Pickled cucumbers - 5-6 pcs;
- Canned peas - 1 can;
- Onion - 1 piece;
- Salt - according to taste preferences;
- Sunflower oil - for salad dressing.
Vinaigrette salad with peas: step-by-step recipe
The cooking process includes the following steps:
- Wash all vegetables using a brush. We will cook potatoes, beets and carrots in separate saucepans. Pour cold water over the vegetables and cook until done, check by piercing them with a fork; when the vegetable becomes soft, but still firm and elastic, it is ready. Turn off the heat, drain the vegetable broth and add very cold water to stop the cooking process.
- When the vegetables have cooled down to the point where they can be handled with your hands without fear of scalding, but are still warm enough, peel them by prying them with a knife. This is when the peel will be easiest to remove.
- Then put the vegetables in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or overnight. Be sure to cover the vegetables with a lid or cling film to prevent them from drying out. They should rest in the refrigerator so that when cutting the pieces do not stick together.
- Pickle the onion. To do this, cut it into small cubes and pour boiling water with ½ spoon of vinegar. Leave it like this until the water cools, then drain the water through a sieve and lightly squeeze the onion.
- Prepare a deep salad bowl in which you will mix the vinaigrette ingredients. First of all, cut the beets into small pieces. Place in a salad bowl and add a few tablespoons of oil. Stir. The oil will prevent the beets from coloring other vegetables. The resulting salad will be neat and retain its colorful appearance.
- Cut the potatoes and carrots into pieces the same size as the beets. Place in a salad bowl.
- Cut small canned cucumbers into circles, and then cut each circle into 4 parts. If a lot of brine drains from the cucumbers, then it must be squeezed out. Excess moisture in the finished dish will be out of place. Add cucumbers to the salad bowl.
- Open the can of peas and drain off any excess liquid. Pour into a salad bowl. Also add the previously pickled onions. Salt and add oil. Stir and taste. You may need to add another cucumber or more salt.
- Eat right away. The salad is also delicious when chilled. Perfect as a side dish for meat and salted fish.
How to cook carrots in a saucepan
In the classic way, carrots are usually boiled in a saucepan. To do this you need:
- thoroughly wash the root crop to remove any dirt, being careful not to damage the skin;
- You need to choose a pan of size so that, if possible, the carrots are positioned horizontally. In principle, you can cut it in half, but this is not advisable;
- pour cold water until it completely covers the carrots;
- close the lid and place on the stove;
- cook from the moment of boiling for 20-25 minutes; Cooking time directly depends on the size. To check readiness, you need to pierce the carrots with a knife - the finished ones are easily pierced, but the overcooked ones begin to fall apart;
- Cool the root vegetables under running cold water, this will make them much easier to clean.
Vinaigrette with baked vegetables and beans
Roasting vegetables for vinaigrette will be a healthier and tastier alternative to boiling. After all, when cooking, some vitamins are lost, but when baking, most of them are retained. In addition, baked beets have a sweeter taste. Choose small vegetables so they will cook faster.
You will need:
- Beets - 5-6 pcs;
- Carrots - 6 pieces;
- Potatoes - 5-6 pieces;
- Pickled cucumbers - 3-4 pcs;
- Beans - 1 cup;
- Onion - 1 piece (small);
- Sauerkraut - 100 g;
- Sunflower oil - 3-4 tbsp. for salad dressing + 1 tbsp. for cooking beans;
- Salt - according to taste preferences.
Vinaigrette with baked vegetables and beans: recipe
Preparation:
- Boil the beans in advance. In the evening, you can soak it in a bowl of water at room temperature. Soaking will allow you to get rid of phytic acid, which interferes with the full absorption of microelements, as well as antinutrients. In addition, the beans will cook a little faster after soaking. To soak effectively, the beans must spend 12 hours in water. The ratio of beans and water is 1:1. In the morning, rinse the beans under running water. Place in the pan you plan to cook in and cover with water.
- When the water boils, add 1 tbsp. l. sunflower oil, which will reduce the formation of foam during cooking. Cook the beans over low heat without a lid. The process will take from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours depending on the type of bean. Please note that with such a long cooking time, the water in the pan may boil away, so add it if necessary. Salt the beans at the end of cooking. Check readiness by taste: the beans should become soft. Drain and cool the beans.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Wash the skins of beets, potatoes and carrots with a brush. Dry with a paper towel. Wrap each copy tightly in foil.
- Place the wrapped vegetables on a baking sheet. They will spend about 1 hour in the oven. Check the readiness with a toothpick; if it gently penetrates the thickness of the root vegetable, it means it is cooked. Note that the potatoes will bake the fastest, followed by the carrots, and the beets will bake for 1 hour.
- When the vegetables have cooled, unwrap the foil.
- Finely chop the onion and marinate for half an hour in boiling water. Then drain the water and squeeze the onion. Now the onion will not taste bitter in the finished dish.
- Peel the vegetables and cut into equal sized cubes.
- Squeeze the cabbage from the liquid.
- Cut the cucumbers into circles, and then cut each circle into 4 parts.
- Place all vegetables except beets in a salad bowl. Salt and add oil. Stir. Then add the beets. This method is needed so that the oil protects the vegetables from being stained by beets. Add beans, cabbage and cucumbers. Taste it; you may need to add more salt. Garnish the salad with parsley leaves.
How much and how to cook vegetables for vinaigrette (beets, carrots, potatoes)?
Author: Yulia Sabinova. Updated 05/23/2020
A delicious vinaigrette salad can be quickly prepared at home if you know the rules for cooking all its ingredients, on which the taste of the finished salad largely depends. In this article we will take a closer look at how and how many minutes to cook vegetables for vinaigrette, such as carrots, potatoes and beets.
Vinaigrette with sea notes
You can diversify the taste of the salad by adding squid and seaweed to its composition. Be sure to try this version of vinaigrette, it is worthy of attention.
For the salad you will need:
- Squid - 0.5 kg;
- Sea kale - 200 g;
- Beets - 2 pcs;
- Potatoes - 2 pcs;
- Carrots - 2 pcs;
- Pickled cucumbers - 1 piece;
- Red onion - 1 piece;
- Green onions - 3 feathers.
To dress the salad you will need:
- Sunflower oil - 3 tbsp;
- Sugar - 1 tsp;
- Mustard - 1 tsp;
- Apple vinegar - 2 tbsp;
- Salt - 0.5 tsp;
- Black pepper - ⅓ tsp.
Vinaigrette with sea notes: recipe with photos
Cooking process:
- Remove the mantle from the squid. To do this, pour boiling water over them for up to 1 minute, then rinse under running water; the skin will come off easily.
- Cut lengthwise and remove spine and entrails.
- Place in a saucepan with cold water and put on fire. Salt the water when it is slightly warm. Bring to a boil and immediately turn off the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the squid meat from the water. Cool and cut into strips along the grain of the meat.
- Boil potatoes, beets and carrots in different containers in salted water. Peel while warm, and when completely cool, cut into cubes.
- Finely chop both types of onions.
- Cut the cucumbers into rings, and then cut each ring into four parts.
- Cut the seaweed into strips of 3-4 cm.
- Prepare the dressing. To do this, combine all the ingredients for the dressing and whisk with a hand whisk. You don’t have to add mustard to the dressing if you don’t like it, but it won’t be noticeable with so many vegetables; it will only add its characteristic piquancy.
- First add everything to the salad bowl except the beets. Add dressing and stir. The oil will coat the food pieces and prevent the beets from staining. Add the beets and stir everything together. Ready.
How to make vinaigrette salad with sauerkraut
This option will turn out delicious if you use good quality sauerkraut to prepare it. So, it is better not to take sour and very soft ones. This snack is very popular: high in vitamins and low in calories.
Ingredients:
- Beetroot - 1 pc.;
- Carrots - 1-2 pcs.;
- Potatoes - 1-2 pcs.;
- Onion - 1 pc.;
- Sauerkraut - 200 gr.;
- Pickled cucumbers - 2-3 pcs.;
- Canned peas - 300 gr.;
- Salt - to taste;
- Vegetable oil - to taste.
Cooking method:
1. Boil vegetables until tender and cool.
2. Peel the beets and cut them into small cubes. Add a little vegetable oil and mix.
3. Peel the onion and chop finely.
4. Finely chop the pickles.
5. Peel the potatoes and also cut them into cubes.
6. Chop the carrots into small pieces.
7. The cabbage must be squeezed out of the brine and, if necessary, chopped a little.
8. Add green peas, season with oil, salt to taste and mix well. All is ready. Bon appetit!!
Classic vinaigrette with lightly salted herring
The salad is prepared according to the classic recipe, but one additional ingredient is added - pieces of lightly salted herring. This component goes well with vegetables in vinaigrette and allows you to diversify the usual taste.
You will need:
- Lightly salted herring - 2 pcs;
- Beets - 3 pcs;
- Carrots - 2 pcs;
- Potatoes - 3 pcs;
- Pickled cucumber - 3 pcs;
- Red onion - 1 piece;
- Green onion - 4 feathers;
- Salt - according to taste preferences;
- Sunflower oil - 3-4 tbsp.
Vinaigrette with herring: classic recipe with photos
Preparation:
- Filet the herring. To do this, cut along the ridge into two parts, remove the skin by lifting it with your fingers and slowly pulling it off. Then remove all bones by hand. Cut into cubes.
- Boil potatoes, beets and carrots in separate containers.
- Clean while warm. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours and then cut into cubes. Cold vegetables do not stick together when cut.
- Chop both types of onions as finely as you can manage.
- Place potatoes and carrots in a salad bowl, add salt and season with oil. You need to add salt before pouring in the oil, since salt is also poorly absorbed through the layer of oil. Then add beets, onions, herring and stir.
Prepare the vinaigrette according to one of the proven recipes that we have prepared for you. Thanks to the recommendations of the article, you will get the perfect dish.
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How long should you cook vegetables for vinaigrette?
Preparing a vinaigrette usually takes 1.5 hours, of which most of the time is spent preparing and cooking vegetables. Let's look at the cooking time for each root vegetable in a pan:
Having found out how long it takes to cook vegetables for a salad vinaigrette, we will next consider how to properly prepare them for cooking and cook them in a saucepan.
How to prepare vegetables for cooking
Before cooking each component for the vinaigrette, it is important to wash it thoroughly in cold running water. To remove more stubborn stains, you can use a clean dishwashing sponge, but it is important that the skins on potatoes, beets and carrots remain intact after cleaning.
Baked beets
Another interesting way to cook beets in a slow cooker, which is best suited for young vegetables at the beginning of the season, when they are juicier and more tender. To prepare, wash the vegetables, dry them with a paper towel, wrap each one in foil, after dripping some vegetable oil inside. Lubricate the multicooker bowl with it and place the beets in it. Turn on the “Bake” program for one hour.
How to cook beets in a pressure cooker?
A pressure cooker allows you to reduce cooking time by 3-5 times. After all, this miracle pan does not lose heat during evaporation, and the food in it is cooked under steam pressure. If you have such an assistant in your kitchen, you don’t need to think long about how to quickly cook beets for a vinaigrette.
Before you start cooking, make sure the pressure release valve is not clogged, the O-ring is seated correctly, and the pot lid is securely seated. Pour in at least 250 ml of water, be guided by the size of the pan - it should not be more than 2/3 full.
Place the washed vegetables and start cooking them. At the end of cooking, be sure to release the steam, otherwise the root vegetables may become overcooked.
So how long should you cook beets in a pressure cooker? The answer depends on the seasonality, a young vegetable is cooked for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size, an old one - 25-30 minutes.
Many modern multicookers also have this pressure cooker function. To cook, pour one multi-cooker glass of water into the bowl for 1-2 root vegetables; if the set includes a metal stand for vegetables, it is better to use it so that the vegetable does not stain the device. Place the beets on the stand and close the lid. If you want to achieve the desired pressure faster, add hot water. Set the “Soup/Cook” mode for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, release the steam carefully, being careful not to get burned. To avoid damaging the wallpaper and ceiling in the kitchen, do this under the hood or in front of an open window.
How to properly and how much to cook potatoes for salads
It is believed that it is more correct and healthier to cook potatoes for salads - in their skins. Or, as they also call it, in the “uniform”.
Why do they boil potatoes in their jackets for salads?
“Mundir” prevents the potatoes from becoming saturated with water during cooking and losing their flavor. Also, potatoes cooked in this way in a salad keep their shape, and there are much more vitamins left in the vegetable.
Classic recipe for boiling potatoes in their jackets
To prepare, take medium-sized potatoes and wash them thoroughly under running water.
Place the prepared potatoes in a saucepan and fill with cold water 2 centimeters above the root vegetable.
To prevent the peel from cracking during cooking, add salt at the rate of 0.5 tablespoons per liter of water. Also, to prevent potatoes from cracking when boiling in their skins, you can add a teaspoon of 9% vinegar.
Cook with the lid closed, bringing the water to a boil at maximum heat, then reduce it (so that the water does not boil too much).
Cook the potatoes for 18 – 20 minutes.
You can check readiness with a fork or toothpick. If the potatoes pierce well, they are ready.
Drain the water and cool by pouring cold water. This will make it easier to clean.
Boiled vegetables, while they are warm, are easier to peel.
Recipe for making jacket potatoes for salads: vinaigrette, Olivier salad or “herring under a fur coat”
Preparing potato tubers:
Pour one and a half liters of cold water into the pan.
Pour in half a kilogram of salt. Add potatoes.
Cool the potatoes, wash them, peel them and use them to make salads.
With this method of preparation, the main thing is that the potato peel is not damaged.
The potatoes have an original taste (like baked potatoes) and are not overcooked.
The water in which the potatoes were boiled can be used several more times.
Beets in the microwave
Another new way to quickly cook beets for vinaigrette will require the use of a microwave oven. Of course, this option is very different from the usual gas saucepan, but in terms of speed it is significantly faster than it.
Contrary to popular belief, beets do not need to be pierced before cooking in the microwave; they do not burst during the process. You need to cook either in a glass container with a lid, or under a regular microwave lid. Plastic containers with a valve to allow steam to escape are also suitable. There is no need for water.
Cooking time depends on many factors: the size of the vegetables, their humidity, the power of the appliance, the material of the cookware, the volume of food. Approximately, a small amount of beets is cooked for 10-15 minutes at a microwave power of 1000 W. It should be borne in mind that beets are one of those vegetables that are cooked on their own, so there is no need to overcook them. It's best to take them out when they seem slightly undercooked.
If you are cooking a lot of vegetables at the same time, then place the smallest root vegetable in the center, since microwaves will have a worse effect on it.
Please note that if the beets were cooked in a glass container, do not fill it with cold water, as the glass may burst.
How long to cook vegetables for vinaigrette?
Let's immediately remember what vegetables need to be added to the vinaigrette. Surely everyone will immediately say - potatoes, carrots and beets. In addition, some people add canned green peas, sauerkraut, and onions.
Root vegetables must be boiled. How long should you cook vegetables for vinaigrette in a saucepan? Potatoes and carrots are cooked for approximately the same time - 20-25 minutes. You can put these components in one pan and, after boiling, set aside a third of an hour. Readiness is checked very simply - with a fork or toothpick. These root vegetables should become soft. Although in some cases it may take a little longer. It all depends on the size of the vegetable fruit.
Now let's pay special attention to beets. The duration of heat treatment of the red-cheeked vegetable will also depend on the size. Therefore, beets can be cooked until tender from 40 minutes to two hours. Although there are alternative options, for example, chop the beets, peel them and bake them or steam them. This way you can significantly reduce the cooking time.
You learned how long to cook vegetables for a salad in the usual way. But today, many housewives prefer modern kitchen gadgets, for example, a multicooker or a double boiler. If you steam the vegetable ingredients for the vinaigrette, they will turn out much healthier and juicier.
You just need to follow a few rules. First, don’t forget to thoroughly clean and rinse everything. If for vinaigrette we always boil potatoes in their skins, then in a double boiler or slow cooker it is necessary to cook the tubers without peeling. On average, potatoes take about half an hour to cook. The same amount is the heat treatment of carrot root vegetables.
As for the beets, they will have to be steamed for about 40 minutes. Please note that the beets need to be chopped into cubes or cut into four parts. Secondly, choose the appropriate program mode if you cook in a slow cooker. Third, pour the required amount of liquid into the container.
Advice! To reduce cooking time, use hot water for steaming. This way, the kitchen appliance will not need to spend additional time heating the liquid.
It is recommended to cook beets separately from other vegetables, otherwise both carrots and potatoes will turn burgundy. Of course, this can happen already at the stage of chopping vegetables. But there is salvation - refined vegetable oil. Add it, and each component of your vinaigrette will retain its natural color.
Boiling vegetables to make a vinaigrette is a time-tested method of cooking. Do not forget that some of the nutrients, useful micro- and macroelements disappear. If you want the vinaigrette to be not only satisfying, but also healthy, it is better to steam the vegetables or bake them in the oven.
Every day the recipe for making vinaigrette changes. Some people started adding herring fillets, others liked the vinaigrette with sauerkraut. By the way, cabbage is one of the essential ingredients. Remember that it is advisable to store the vinaigrette with the addition of lightly salted cucumbers and sauerkraut for no more than one day in the refrigerator.