Abzhorka

Cuisine: Russian
Region: Common

Abzhorka is a classic, traditional Russian dish that can be a starter, a side dish, a salad or a main course. (Fun, eh? 🙂 )

Serves 4
Cooking time: 60 min
You need: two pots and two bowls

Ingredients

• 3 carrots
• 1/2 Kg (1 Lb) sirloin beef
• 2 yellow onions, cut in rings
• 3 pickles, cut into strips
• Salt and pepper to taste
• @350ml (12 oz) mayonnaise (recipe here)
• 2 Tbsp cider or wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, or 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp water

Instructions

1. Put the carrots in a pot.
2. Cover them with water.
3. Bring to a boil in medium fire. Let them simmer until they are tender.
4. Drain them and cut them in rounds.
5. Put the sirloin in a another pot.
6. Add water (so that the beef doesn’t get stuck on the bottom of the pot) and salt to your taste.
7. Boil over medium fire, until the meat is tender.
8. Drain the meat and cut it into thin strips.
9. In a bowl, mix the carrots, the sirloin beef, the onions and the pickles. (You may want to slice the pickles into thin stripes. Up to you.)
10. In another bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the vinegar, the olive oil or butter, salt, pepper and the 2 Tbsp of water. Stir well.
11. Combine the contents of the two bowls – and the food is ready.

Notes on Abzhorka – Sirloin Beef and Potato Salad

• Decide whether you will keep the sirloin broth to use it for something else or discard it altogether.
• If you’re using butter instead of olive oil be sure to melt it first.
• Feel free to use any kind of pickle you wish.
• Abzhorka can be a starter, a side dish, a salad or a main dish. There’s no rule. 🙂
• Recipe for home made mayonnaise, here.