Salată de Boeuf (Romanian Beef Salad)
Photo: Sacha47, CC BY-SA 4.0
Salată de boeuf is the salad Romanian families put on the table for every festive occasion, made in a big batch for the whole party. Beef, potatoes, carrots and peas are cut to the size of a pea, then bound with homemade mayonnaise from egg yolks and oil. Firm, not-too-sweet gherkins give it bite, and the patterned pickle garnish makes it a centerpiece beside fried meats.
Instructions
Boil the potatoes gently in their skins until tender, then let them cool and peel them. Boil the carrots until tender as well. If you are using fresh peas, boil or steam them until well cooked.
Simmer the beef gently for 1 hour. Let it cool enough to handle.
Cut the potatoes, carrots and beef into cubes of about 5 mm, roughly the size of the peas. Slice the gherkins 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick, then cut those slices at 3 mm intervals along the length and width so they are very fine. Fold all of these together with the peas, gently, and do not season yet.
To make the mayonnaise, beat the cooked egg yolks together with the raw yolk until well mixed. Add the oil very slowly while beating, until the mixture thickens into a mayonnaise. Stir in the lemon juice and the mustard.
Set aside a small amount of the mayonnaise for the top. Fold the rest into the meat and vegetables until everything is well coated but not swimming in it. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the salad into one large bowl or several smaller ones. Spread the reserved mayonnaise over the top and decorate with strips of egg white, gherkin and pickled red pepper and slices of olive, arranged in a pattern.
Make it personal.
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