This time I cooked two dishes that, even though they are not truly familiar to me, still somehow resemble favorite Russian specialties: Olivier salad and pirozhki. These are ensalada rusa and meat empanadas. As the name suggests the ensalada rusa is the Russian salad. I suspect that this salad is a modified version of the Olivier salad brought to Argentina by Russian immigrants. It is also a very simplified version of the salad we had in Russia. Anyway, it was kind of exciting to cook something you know from your childhood but which went through the transformation of another culture.

Ensalada Rusa – Russian Salad

As I mentioned this salad is a simplified version of the Olivier salad we had in Russia. By simplified I mean it does not have as many ingredients. However, it is tasty and definitely faster to cook. There are also many different variations of this salad with four base ingredients: potatoes, carrots, peas, and mayonnaise. Cut cooked vegetables are into small pieces, mix together and dress with mayonnaise. Add salt and black pepper to taste. I also added pimiento-stuffed olives to make the salad taste less bland.

Meat Empanadas

These things are not for those on diet. They are so delicious that you cannot stop eating them and they are not light on calories. I would love to make them again but I had to restrain myself. Too delicious… ugh. Here is the recipe.