An essential appetizer on the holiday table, Piedmontese Russian Salad, has two ingredients that set it apart from the classic version. Originally in Russia around the mid-1800s, it was mainly made of oysters, caviar, and shrimp, with minimal vegetables. But later in Racconigi, these ingredients were replaced with vegetables. And the funny thing is that in Russia it’s called Italian Salad, while in Italy it’s called Russian Salad. But now, let’s prepare this truly exquisite dish.
For Piedmontese Russian Salad, there are various versions, some don’t include hard-boiled eggs, others add a bit of Piedmontese giardiniera for more flavor. Today we’re making it in the shape of Santa Claus Hats!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Christmas
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup carrots (cleaned)
- 3/4 cup potatoes (cleaned)
- 3/4 cup green beans (frozen and blanched)
- 3/4 cup peas
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (for hat covering)
- 1 tsp red beets, cooked, boiled (only juice)
- 3/5 cup mayonnaise (for hat decoration)
Steps
For the preparation of the Russian Salad, follow the instructions you find by clicking on this link here.
With this quantity, you will get six Santa Claus Hats. I used a cookie cutter with a diameter of about 2 inches to create a more regular base. Place a small amount of Russian salad on a flat plate and shape it into a round form with the cutter. Make it about 1.2 inches high.
Place another spoonful of mayonnaise on top and shape it into a cone.
Try to shape it to resemble a Santa Claus hat.
I used cooked and frozen beets to color the mayonnaise used for covering the hats. I defrosted them and used the juice as a dye. If you prefer, you can also use red food coloring.
You need to get a mixture that is not too fluid, otherwise it will drip when you spread it on the Russian salad.
With a teaspoon, spread the colored mayonnaise well over the Russian salad cone.
Use a syringe to create small tufts of mayonnaise all around the cylinder.
Add another tuft of mayonnaise on the tip and your Santa Claus Hats are ready!
And here they are ready to be enjoyed!
Suggestions, Tips
If you want a brighter color for your Santa Claus Hats, you can use red food coloring.
You can find the recipe for Russian Salad by clicking here.
