Meat Salad

This is a surprisingly simple recipe, using very basic ingredients, but has endured the test of time.  DH, who truly loves and understands me, bought me many years ago for my birthday/anniversary present a 10 week course, of once a week to meet with the head chef of the Hilton hotel in Jerusalem at the time, Avi Brueh by name.  It was awesome, we actually sat in the hotel kitchens and learned techniques and got ideas from the chef.  They even brought in a conditor (pastry chef).  I had a blast.  I was also the only one there who did the “homework” which he gave us which was to go home and prepare the different recipes he gave us which I have to this day in a binder in my kitchen.  I also did the final assignment, to give an original recipe which I typed and made copies of and was deeply flattered when he took it to his office and put it in his files! Liver on the “half shell” (half a potato, never fear) but that’s a recipe for another day.  This is a take on the recipe he gave us.

It is really pretty for presentation since it is filled with color.  Try to get as many different colored peppers as you can to add variety.  You basically are julienning (slicing thin long slices) of all the veggies as well as the meat.  In the class, he used upscale meats like corned beef and pastrami and real turkey.  I have “plebed down” the recipe for the common man (of which I am one 🙂 ) and use varieties of salamis both turkey and beef (white and red) for the color contrast.  However, if you have leftover slices of real turkey or corned beef slice them up and bung them in or you can go upscale to begin with if you wish.

Meat Salad

serves 8-10 as a first course, 3-4 as a main

400 grams (about 14 ounces) of different salamis and turkey roll OR

cooked corned beef, pastrami, turkey OR a mixture of the meats

4 large peppers – preferably a mix of orange and red and yellow- I personally find green pepper bitter – at least in Israel-  so I don’t include it – if you can find purple, great – remember we are going for color as well as flavor

3 large firm cucumbers

4 large  nice red firm tomatoes

6 large (or 10 smaller) pickles (in brine – or sour pickles are wonderful as well)

lettuce leaves for decoration (optional)

Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil (or canola or other vegetable oil)

3 tablespoons deli mustard

1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons red (or white) wine vinegar- do try to get wine vinegar, it adds a tremendous amount of flavor to your dish

2 teaspoons of the pickle brine

This is a one bowl dish, always a good thing in my book!  You can make the dressing in a separate bowl but I don’t feel this adds anything and it’s a pity to mess up another bowl for no good reason.  Wash and dry well all the veggies (except the pickles, of course).  I don’t peel the cucumbers, I like the color contrast and the added crunch.  Julienne all the veggies into a large bowl.  I do the tomatoes last, and scoop them out of the juices they give up before adding to the bowl to cut down on the liquidiness.   Now take your meats and slice with a sharp knife in strips (also julienne, in essence) add to bowl, toss to separate the slices.  Now the dressing (or sauce as my English friends say), right into the bowl, drizzle the oil, squeeze in the mustard (I use a squeeze bottle so you can squirt it in all about) and the wine vinegar.  You can add a bit more if it doesn’t seem to coat all the ingredients sufficiently, just don’t drown them.  Toss till all is completely coated.  The pickles and their own juice add greatly to this happy melange of flavors.

Try to prepare this about 20 minutes before serving to allow the dressing to marinate the veggies a bit, but not too far in advance so they don’t “limp” on you.  Serve on a beautiful dish (I have these lovely footed bowls), or on a plate with lettuce either shredded or leaves to give it more oomph.