Smoked Cheese Salad - General Cooking Principles
This salad is a real treat for men. He, undoubtedly, will like them, because the salad perfectly combines the pleasant aroma of smoke, the taste of meat and the richness of fresh vegetables. Preparing a salad very quickly, the products that are part of it, do not need prior heat treatment. Smoked cheese salad is a salvation for those housewives, to whom guests descended completely unexpectedly: it is prepared, in fact, from those products that are usually allowed on the table as a slice or with sandwiches.
For the preparation of a salad, it is advisable to use high-quality smoked cheese made from varieties such as Mozzarella, Gouda, etc. Most gourmets are used to seeing smoked cheese as a pigtail as a snack. It really has an original, incomparable taste, but adding it to a salad with smoked cheese will be somewhat inconvenient: firstly, it is difficult to cut it smoothly and beautifully, and secondly, it is rather tough compared to other components.
It is also not recommended to replace smoked hard cheese with smoked melted or sausage cheese. It is generally not recommended to eat it. Such cheese is prepared exclusively from expired products, and to give it that very taste and aroma with smoke, a huge amount of harmful substances and flavorings are used. Appetizing appearance give him dyes. It will be difficult to cut such cheese - it constantly sticks to the knife, and in a salad it can crumble and spoil the whole taste.
Smoked Cheese Salad - Preparing Food and Dishes
The main ingredients here are ready-to-eat products, so the preparation process is reduced to a minimum. Along with cheese, vegetables, ham or prepared chicken fillet (preferably smoked or grilled as well) and greens will be used here. All vegetables must be washed in running water, rinse the greens and get rid of hard stems. If cucumbers and tomatoes are used, they just need to be cut, but cucumbers must be removed “ass”, because sometimes they can bitter and spoil the taste of the dish. But if you cut out Bulgarian pepper in a salad with smoked cheese, then it must be thoroughly cleaned of seeds - their use can lead to problems with the intestines.
Salt should be used more carefully, because the cheese itself and the ham in the salad will already be salty. In principle, you can refuse to add salt to this dish altogether. But you can add a small amount of dried herbs and seasonings (dill, parsley, basil).
From the dishes we need a cutting board, a sharp knife and a small bowl where we will put the chopped products.
Smoked Cheese Salad Recipes:
Recipe 1: Smoked Cheese Salad
The easiest option, elementary in cooking. It will be an excellent snack at your family dinner, and even look great on a festive table. Thanks to the presence of vegetables, the salad is bright and attractive. This dish will be an excellent option for the table during the lingering holidays: it can be easily prepared from what is left in the fridge and is not suitable for cutting.
Ingredients Required:
- 150 g smoked cheese,
- 300 g of ham,
- two medium cucumbers,
- one large tomato,
- greens,
- two tablespoons of mayonnaise.
Preparation Method:
All ingredients must be cut into the same cubes or cubes, chop the greens (a couple of leaves can be left intact for decoration). Fill up the ready salad with smoked cheese mayonnaise, only then try on the salt and, if necessary, add a pinch.
Recipe 2: Smoked Cheese-Braided Salad
This salad has an original savory taste, however, not everyone may like it because of the presence of fairly hard cheese, so it can be classified as experimental. It is nevertheless just as easy to prepare, and it looks very appetizing. But ladies are not recommended to use it in large quantities, as this can harm the figure. Ingredients Required:
- 200-250 g of pigtail cheese,
- 300 g of ham,
- two medium cucumbers,
- two boiled eggs,
- greens to taste,
- a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise.
Preparation Method:
The pigtail cheese must be “strung out”, and each individual strip should be divided into the maximum number of fine fibers. If the cheese was originally long, then you need to cut it in length into several pieces. Cut ham and cucumbers into thin long sticks to look harmonious with cheese fibers. Eggs cook hard-boiled, cool and grate. Mix all ingredients, season with mayonnaise, add greens, salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe 3: Salad with smoked cheese and crackers
This recipe is a more classic salad with crackers, in which, in addition to the main ingredients, vegetables and smoked cheese are added. A salad with smoked cheese and crackers is perfect for a festive table, as well as a hearty snack for friendly get-togethers or a picnic, if you first remove the finished dish in a hermetically sealed container. For cooking, it is better to use white bread croutons: you can buy them at the store or make them yourself.
Ingredients Required:
- 150 g smoked cheese,
- packing crab sticks,
- a jar of canned corn,
- two medium cucumbers,
- a pack of croutons with a neutral taste or half loaf,
- greens,
- two tablespoons of mayonnaise.
Preparation Method:
All the ingredients are cut into cubes, including crab sticks (of course, if you purchased frozen, you must first defrost). From the jar with the corn, pour out the liquid or take the grain out from there using a skimmer. All the ingredients are mixed and dressed with mayonnaise. To taste adds greens and salt. In order to cook the croutons yourself, you need to cut the loaf into cubes and lightly dry in a frying pan or in the oven on a baking sheet without adding butter.
Recipe 4: Smoked Cheese and Salmon Salad
Any kind of red fish goes well with cheese, these two ingredients perfectly complement each other. That is why red fish and cheese are often used in the preparation of sandwiches and canapes. And in salads, they are combined perfectly well. It is better to use fatty salmon or trout. Despite the fact that pink salmon also has good qualities, it can kill the taste of other ingredients, and a little dry.
Ingredients Required:
- 150 g smoked cheese,
- 200 g light-salted salmon or trout,
- Iceberg lettuce,
- one large tomato,
- lemon juice,
- tablespoon of olive oil.
Preparation Method:
Salad tear hands, put the leaves in a deep bowl. On them we place pieces of salmon, cheese and tomato. Salad with smoked cheese and salmon is better to fill not with mayonnaise, but lemon juice, mixing it with a small amount of olive (you can also take vegetable) butter.
Recipe 5: Salad with smoked cheese and mushrooms
Mushrooms give the salad a special interesting taste, they are almost universal additional ingredient to all dishes. They make any salad nourishing and original, and since there are a great many kinds of mushrooms, you can add something different each time and get a completely new taste.
Ingredients Required:
- 150 g smoked cheese,
- 200 g of ham,
- 500 g of any frozen mushrooms or a small jar of canned,
- one large tomato,
- two boiled eggs,
- two tablespoons of mayonnaise,
- greens.
Preparation Method:
Mushrooms boil or fry in vegetable oil (the first option will be faster and more useful), if canned - remove from the jar without liquid. All ingredients are cut, with the exception of small mushrooms. Eggs grated. All mix and dress with mayonnaise, decorate with greens.
Smoked cheese salad - secrets and useful tips from the best chefs
If you use pigtail cheese in cooking, then choose the product of the lightest color. Dark brown cheese is better not to buy - it is likely hard, which means it will be difficult to separate into fibers.
In a salad with smoked cheese, you can add any pickled cheese that holds its shape well, otherwise it will turn into porridge.
When you choose a bell pepper for salad, give preference to green fruits: they contain more nutrients for the body. And during cooking, cut it a little larger than the other ingredients - thus saving juice, in which o most of the useful elements.
