Barby's Ensaladilla Rusa

This  one of the most ubiquitous and traditional Spanish tapas dishes.  This could be due to three main factors - it is delicious, easy to prepare in large quantities and very economical. 

If you want to try one of the best 'Ensaladilla Rusas' go to the spectacular city of Ronda and visit the restaurant Tragatá.  Tragata was awarded best 'Ensaladilla Rusa' at the Basque culinary event Gastronomika 2021 in San Sebastian.

INGREDIENTS

(serves 4 as a generous tapa)
1 roasted red pepper from a glass jar cut in small pieces
2 eggs
400g potatoes
2 carrots pilled and cut in small cubes
80g frozen peas
100g olive oil steak tuna
10 green olives but in thin rings

For the mayonnaise
In a bowl place 1 egg, 100ml sunflower oil, 75ml of olive oil, 2 tsp of lemon juice
& a pinch of salt

METHOD

In a big saucepan place potatoes and eggs, cover with water and bring them to boil- cook until just tender. Let them cool completely, remove their skins and cut into cubes.   In another saucepan place peas and carrots and bring to boil until tender.

While the vegetables are being cooked, prepare your mayonnaise by blending all ingredients with a hand held blender for a few seconds.  You can make ‘ensaladilla rusa’ with shop-bought mayonnaise but it it will never be as tasty. If you have a handheld blender, it takes seconds to whip up a batch of mayonnaise.  You can see in this video how easy and quick it is to make a delicious homemade mayo How to make Mayonnaise with an immersion blender - YouTube.

Finally, add the mayonnaise to a bowl and mix with all the ingredients. If you are feeling artistic, you can decorate your ‘ensaladilla’ with some sliced olives, crumbled egg yolks and thinly sliced red pepper.

Serve cold with nice crusty bread!

We love how this dish looks in our Casa Cubista ceramics. Do you?