Vegan Russian Salad

Vegan Russian Salad

Few notes. The vegetables should be thoroughly cooked but retain some of their crispness: no mushy stuff. Be careful with that.

According to my friends, adding apples in a Russian salad is a “Ukrainian thing to do”. I’m not sure I fully grasp the meaning of this, but I sure do like the freshness that a Granny Smith apple brings along. That’s why I decided to take the Ukrainian path, wherever this might lead me.

Ingredients

Serves 6

2 large potatoes

2 large carrots

½ lb / 7 oz / 200 gr green peas

½ Granny Smith apple

1 cup / 7 oz / 200 gr cooked cannellini beans, rinsed and patted dry

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 small bunch of fresh dill, chopped

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Peel the carrots and the potatoes and dice them into ½ inch (about 1 cm) cubes.

Cook carrot cubes first into the boiling water for about 5 minutes. Fish them out with a slotted spoon, drain and let cool.

Now cook the potatoes, this takes roughly 7 minutes (it depends of the quality of the potatoes). Fish them out with a slotted spoon, drain and let cool.

Lastly, cook the green peas. I used frozen ones (ouch!) so I cooked them according to package instructions. If you’re using proper fresh ones it shouldn’t take longer than 2 minutes.

In the meantime, wash thoroughly the Granny Smith apple and diced it (skin on) into ½ inch cubes. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, blend cannellini beans, olive oil, water, vinegar and salt; pulse until reaching the consistency of thin mayo. If still too thick, add more water (one teaspoon at a time). Finally, mix in some chopped dill.

In a big bowl mix vegetables and apple. Add pureed cannellini and stir until well combined. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Sprinkle with more dill and refrigerate before serving.