In anticipation of the New Year, many housewives are looking for recipes for new, unusual and tasty dishes in advance. After all, if you are already undertaking to spend some time on the eve of the holidays in the kitchen, then you want the result to be worth it, so that households and guests admirably pay tribute to your skill. Salads and cold appetizers set the tone for the entire upcoming dinner and, like many other things, there is a certain fashion for them.
For a long time, herring under a fur coat and salad Olivier reigned on the New Year's table of millions of Russian people, but the general passion for cooking led to the fact that these idols of the past were defeated, recognized as unexplored and old-fashioned. However, the desire to recreate the atmosphere of “that same New Year”, familiar from childhood, with all its attributes, brought them back to places of honor. Only in a new, transformed form. In the "new" Olivier there is no place for sausage and boiled carrots, which once replaced the scarlet crayfish tails. Striving for simplicity, housewives rarely put in an appetizer such components of a pre-revolutionary, classic recipe as lanspeck cubes and soy-kabul dressing. What does a new, modern Olivier look like most often? Try to cook it by taking:
- 5 medium potatoes;
- 200 g of boiled chicken;
- 200 g of crab meat;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of small capers;
- 1 long-fruited fresh cucumber;
- 3 hard-boiled chicken eggs, peeled;
- 5 tbsp. tablespoons of frozen peas;
- homemade mayonnaise, salt.
Boil the potatoes in their skins, cool and peel. Dip the peas in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain the hot water and immediately cool the peas under running cold water. Cut potatoes, eggs, meat and cucumber into cubes about the size of a pea. Mix the ingredients, season with mayonnaise, add salt if necessary and let the salad stand in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.
When preparing "new" herring under a fur coat, housewives increasingly prefer portioned options. You can put the usual layers in the bowls, collect the salad in a special ring. The refined version of the "fur coat" implies the replacement of tasty and fatty herring with no less tasty and fatty red fish.
Despite the fact that the Chinese New Year, and therefore the “mistress of the year” herself, will come to us only in February, many want to “meet” the cool animal right now, having served what he likes to the table. That is why salads from cabbage and similar "silage" will be fashionable this year. To keep not only the goat satisfied, but also the guests, the hostesses will have to try, choosing the brightest and most delicious combinations of ingredients. An unusual dressing will always help you turn the "stack" into an exquisite New Year's salad. Grate red and white cabbage, carrots on a special grater on a special grater, add grated apple and nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, almond “petals”) lightly fried in a dry frying pan, if desired, and fill all this splendor with pre-prepared dressing. A few days before New Years, simply whisk in a blender bowl:
- 1 peeled ripe mango;
- 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar;
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil;
- a pinch of salt;
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
Pour into a bottle and refrigerate, where the sauce will finally take shape, revealing itself in all its aromatic splendor.
For those who do not really like the sweetness in the salad, dressing is suitable from:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil;
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice;
- 1 clove of garlic, minced;
- ¼ teaspoon of dry mustard;
- salt and pepper.
It should also be done in advance.
Another way to choose a salad for the New Year's table is to take a closer look at what the idols of millions, genius chefs, are doing. For example, try a salad from the "great and terrible" Gordon Ramsay, for which, in addition to 200 grams of boiled couscous (this ingredient has been at the top of the most fashionable products for several years now), you will need:
- 1 boiled chicken breast;
- ½ cup of almond "petals";
- ½ fresh long-fruited cucumber;
- 150 g cherry tomatoes;
- 4 tbsp. spoons of raisins;
- 50 g fresh mint;
- juice of one lime;
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil;
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cut the cucumber and boiled chicken into cubes, cut the tomatoes in half. Lightly fry the almonds in a dry skillet, fry until slightly golden brown. Cut the mint with large scissors. In a bowl, combine couscous, chicken, cucumber, nuts, tomatoes, raisins and herbs, season with oil, lime juice, salt and pepper, mix well and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. If you want to prepare a salad long before serving on the New Year's table, do not forget to tighten the finished snack with cling film so that it does not wind up.
