6 Simple Salad to accompany the main dish

Radish and Egg Salad

I have been to many countries, and one of the biggest differences in eating culture/habits/cuicine is how salad is served.
Salad as a main or separate dish, this is understandable. You can have Caesare Salad for lunch for example.

But, how is salad served, as accompany for the main dish, are differences between countries.

There are three courses in most countries : appetizer;  main dish, which includes protein and salad and then dessert.

However, there are exceptions, as well. I was  amazed to see that in Portugal rice and potato (with some meat/fish) were served on the same plate  .. In addition to that we visited a restaurant with a very  generous cook  in Malta 🙂 french fries, boiled potato, couscous, pasta were on the same plate.  And some bread of course. and a LOT of meat 🙂

In Estonia the three courses means usually 1. soup; 2. main dish containing protein, garnish (potato, rice, pasta, buckwheat…) and salad.  And finally 3. dessert.
We have grown up with the”plate rule”. Plate rule means that the meal on your plate should have 1/4 protein, 1/4 garnish and 1/2 salad.
And it is not the case only when cooking  home or at school. Most restaurants follow the same logic. Ok, except for  fancier and finer  more tourist oriented restaurants, of course.

Typical Estonian  salad comes with sour cream /mayonnaise sauce. Nowadays youngsters prefer u

Plate Rule

sing more vinegar/oil instead.

There are my favourite simple salads.

Easy to do, because of just few components.
And remind then:) serving Estonian dish, you should full half of the plate with one or mix of these salads. Then 1/4 potato or pasta or rice or buckwheat. And then some fish or meat. .. 🙂

Tomato Cucumber Salad
This is, I believe most common, usual, traditional everyday salad in Estonia

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Chop tomato and/or cucumber
Add sour cream
and lot of fresh dill and chives, salt and pepperCabbage Cucumber Salad

chop cabbage in to the fine stripes

 

 

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Cabbage Cucumber Salad

chop cucumber in to the fine  stripes
Chop lot of fresh dill
Mix and season with oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice

 

Cauliflower Tomato Salad
cut cauliflower in to the florets
chop tomato in to the cubes.
mix with mayonnaise

 

Pea, Radish and Leek salad
Mix
chopped radish, leek and peas
season with oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice

Radish and Egg salad
Chop in to the cubes
hard-boiled egg
radish ( and cucumber)
and mix with sour cream. Season with salt and pepper

 

Beetroot and garlic Salad

 

 

Beetroot and Garlic salad
boiled and grated beetroot mix with
mashed garlic
mix with mayonnaise

tomatikapsa-5
Cauliflower Tomato Salad

Soundtrack Laura 581C

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19 thoughts on “6 Simple Salad to accompany the main dish”

  2. Nice salads 🙂
    In Italy instead we don’t have the “main dish”, but after the appetizer we have a “first course” which is usually pasta or risotto or similar, then a “second course” plus a side dish, which is somehow the “main course” of other countries: a dish with fish or meat (but there are also vegetarian second courses of course), and vegetables as side dish: fresh salad, legumes, grilled vegetables, boiled vegetables, etc.
    But that’s mostly in the restaurants, nowadays few people eat regularly appetizer, first course, second course and dessert 🙂 just during the feasts or in some special dinners.
    For salads I usually like to stay simple, so I usually use as a seasoning just extra virgin olive oil and lemon, or extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, but sometimes I also use to make some more elaborated salads too 🙂 In summer for example I really like a salad made with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, some fresh anchovy fillets marinated in some lemon and vinegar, some olives and fresh mint 🙂 it’s very refreshing!
    Or a classical Caprese salad, with a good mozzarella: that’s one of my favorite salads during the hot summer days, it’s never out of “fashion” 🙂

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    1. Oo Caprese 🙂 I love cheese and I can not wait for fresh local tomatos 🙂 🙂

      In Italy for me was most ” strange” that pasta is separate dish. As you probably know rest of the world eat pasta as main dish with ketchup 🙂 🙂 🙂
      But yes. Each diet has own logic and reason, why.

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  4. i feel like in the us, we’re trying to get more vegetables on our plate, but it’s def more protein and carbs then veggies at the moment. i personally lean more towards more bracing dressings, but there’s no way that sour cream on veggies could be bad (;

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  6. Ooh, that cucumber tomato salad looks so yummy! Cucumber is by far one of my favorite veggies, even though it’s technically a fruit. Umm, AND you add dill?!?!? That sounds so dang good!!!!! Also the cabbage and cucumber salad… I bet that tastes good!

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