Cooking couscous in a slow cooker. Couscous porridge with milk

White Birch Salad is one of the most beautiful and delicious dishes. It will help decorate any feast and give it originality. There are many different variations of this dish, which use a huge number of different ingredients. They all have one thing in common: correct design and in the form of birch bark.

Variety of salad recipes

Birch salad is a tasty alternative to tired classic dishes for any feast. Its preparation does not require much time and money. All the products included in the salad are available to any, even not very rich, family. Even a beginner can easily make this salad. To prepare it, a huge number of different ingredients are used, each of which gives the dish its own flavor and unique taste.

Classic version

This cooking recipe is the most famous and popular. By making it, you will delight not only your guests, but also your loved ones. To create the classic White Birch salad with chicken and mushrooms we will need the following ingredients:

It is important to use only the freshest products. Only in this case will your dish turn out truly wonderful.

It takes very little effort to prepare the ingredients for the classic White Birch salad. Its recipe will be as follows:

Salad with prunes

White Birch salad with prunes is made in much the same way as the classic one, only using more dried fruit. To properly prepare this version of the dish, we will need the following products:

The presence of prunes in the salad will add piquancy and a special aroma.

The recipe for this dish looks like this:

You should not strictly adhere to this recipe. You can swap layers and use other ingredients. For example, instead of fried champignons, you can use any pickled or salted mushrooms, and instead of fried onions, you can use marinated in vinegar.

Original version of the dish

The main secret of this salad is the use of apples and cheese. Apples are a very healthy product and adding them to a salad will not only give it freshness, but also increase its beneficial properties. To implement this recipe you need:

one large green apple or two small ones;
chicken fillet;
one head of onion;
at least three eggs;
hard cheese;
olives;
mayonnaise.

Sour apples are best for this dish. They will dilute the neutral taste of the salad with their aroma. The cooking process is as follows:

Adding tenderness

This recipe calls for using beef liver instead of chicken. As in other versions of the dish, we use olives or black olives for decoration.

List of required products:

0.5 kg beef liver;
one carrot;
one small head of onion;
4 chicken eggs;
two medium sized potatoes.

Instead of beef liver, You can also use pork. It is tougher and has a bright taste. Step-by-step cooking recipe:

“Birch” with crab sticks

Unlike other cooking recipes, this one uses pickled mushrooms. Crab sticks add special piquancy and tenderness.

To prepare the dish we will use:

two large or three small onions;
200 g of pickled or salted mushrooms;
one pack of crab sticks;
200 g hard cheese;
greens and lettuce for decoration;
sour cream or mayonnaise.

Before preparing this dish, you need to properly prepare all the ingredients. Its taste will depend on this. The recipe includes the following sequence of actions:

Fry the onion, grate the hard cheese on a fine grater, and chop the crab sticks.
Place lettuce leaves as the bottom layer. Place half a pack of crab sticks on them and grease the layer with sour cream or mayonnaise.
The second layer will be a mixture of mushrooms, fried onions and half of the grated cheese.
Similarly, we make two more layers of salad.
Decorate the surface of the salad with prunes or olives.

Design principles

The main difference between this salad and others is its design. Cooks and housewives try to give it the color of birch bark. The top layer should be uniform and white. It is decorated with black stripes cut from prunes or olives and purple basil leaves. In wealthy families and restaurants, chefs decorate the salad with black caviar. Sour cream or low-fat mayonnaise can be used as a white base. The salad will look beautiful if its top layer is sprinkled with grated cheese or egg white.

As a rule, this appetizer is prepared in a vessel with transparent walls. All ingredients are laid in layers, and the top is shaped like birch bark. There are options for preparing a dish in which all its components are laid out on a flat plate or a dish in the form of a birch log. This option is much more difficult to make, but it looks more elegant and original.

“White Birch” is not only a very beautiful, but also a delicious salad. Be sure to try cooking it and choose the recipe you like best. It will help not only decorate your holiday table, but also diversify your daily diet with an original and unique taste.

Attention, TODAY only!

Birch is a type of multi-layer salad, and its preparation does not require any special culinary skills. Birch is quite simple, but at the same time it is original in appearance and has a delicate taste.

It is best to serve the salad in a deep salad bowl or flat dish. Each of the options provides wide scope for imagination - you can experiment in every possible way with arranging the ingredients.

A salad bowl would be appropriate if the salad is made in the shape of a birch tree, and the dish if it is made in the shape of a log.

Don't limit yourself to just one recipe. By replacing several ingredients you can radically change the taste, based on your preferences.

How to prepare birch salad - 15 varieties

A classic version with a sweet flavor in places and a delicate texture.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast - 2 pcs.
Onion - 1 pc.
Eggs - 3 pcs.
Prunes - 100 g
Champignons - 200 g
Pickled cucumbers - 3 pcs.
Parsley - from 3 to 5 branches
Sunflower oil - 50 ml
Mayonnaise - 100 ml

Preparation:

We prepare all the ingredients: boil the eggs and chicken, pour boiling water over the prunes, chop the onion into cubes and cut the cucumbers. Fry the mushrooms and onions, drain off the remaining fat. The bottom layer is onions with mushrooms, then meat smeared with mayonnaise and cut into strips.

For this layered salad, a flat, oval-shaped dish is suitable.

The final layer includes grated chicken eggs, generously greased with mayonnaise. The third layer is chopped prunes, decorating the dish. We use parsley in decoration as branches and grass.

This option appeared relatively recently and is a striking example of experimentation with components.

Ingredients:

Crab sticks - up to 300 g
Mushrooms (canned) - 200 g
Lettuce leaves - 50 g
Green onions - 100 g
Processed cheese - 100 g
Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp. spoons
Prunes - 100 g

Preparation:

First of all, place the lettuce leaves on a flat dish. Next add chopped crab sticks, grated cheese with mayonnaise and mushrooms. Add more chopped green onions. All this is coated with mayonnaise. At the end, add prunes to make it look like tree bark.

A characteristic feature of this salad is the presence of smoked ham in the list of ingredients and an unusual design.

Ingredients:

Fresh cucumbers - 2 pcs.
Smoked chicken - 500 g
Fresh mushrooms - 200 g
Bulbs - 2 pcs.
Parsley branches - 50 g
Eggs - 2 pcs.
Potatoes - 2 pcs.
Green onions - 50 g
Pomegranate seeds - up to 15 pcs.
Sunflower oil - 3 tbsp. spoons
Prunes - 150 g
Mayonnaise - 8 tbsp. spoons
Salt - 2 g

Preparation:

Fry chopped onions with mushrooms in oil. Cut the cucumbers and meat into thin pieces. Boil and grate the eggs without combining the white with the yolk. We also grate the unpeeled potatoes.

On a transparent and not very deep salad bowl, first of all, lay out the potatoes greased with mayonnaise and seasoned with salt. Next, mushrooms, chicken and cucumbers sprinkled with egg white. After this, prunes sprinkled with egg yolk and flavored with mayonnaise are applied.

Next, draw a tree trunk with mayonnaise and lay strips of prunes. Chopped green onions will serve as foliage. We spread the herb from the parsley. To create flowers, combine green onion branches with pomegranate seeds.

An unusual fruit variation that will surely find its admirers.

Ingredients:

Meat (chicken) - 300 g
Apples - 2 pcs.
Eggs - 3 pcs.
Cheese - 200 g
Olives - 100 g
Onion - 1 pc.
Mayonnaise - 3 tbsp. spoons
Garlic cloves - 2 pcs.
Parsley and green onions - 1 bunch
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Lettuce leaves - 1 bunch

Preparation:

Grate the sour apples and add lemon juice. Boil and chop the meat, fry it in oil, adding onions. Grate the cheese and mix it with chopped herbs and garlic.

Place lettuce leaves on a flat dish and lay out the ingredients in layers - chicken coated with mayonnaise, eggs, apples, and then cheese. All this is generously coated with mayonnaise, and then decorated with olive slices.

Very labor-intensive to prepare, but very satisfying salad.

Ingredients:

Stuffed meat - 200 g
Potatoes - 2 pcs.
Pickled cucumbers - 3 pcs.
Carrots - 2 pcs.
Olives - 2 pcs.
Parsley branches - 3 pcs.
Dill - 2 branches
Onion - 1 pc.
Egg white - 3-4 pcs.
Vinegar - 2 tbsp. spoons
Sugar - teaspoon
Cherry tomato - 1 pc.
Mayonnaise - 100 g
Oil (sunflower) - 1 tbsp. spoon
Champignons (marinated) - up to 7 pcs.

Preparation:

The salad according to this recipe is placed in a flat and rectangular dish. The first layer is grated potatoes. Apply the second layer of fried onions and carrots. Fried and spiced stuffed meat is added as a third layer.

The meat is smeared with mayonnaise and covered with grated pickles. Spread a thin mayonnaise mesh and sprinkle with grated egg white. We make a clearing from dill and champignons

We make a birch trunk from thin strips of olives, trees from parsley, and two ladybugs from a tomato.

Antennae and black dots of insects can be made from olives.

A variation rich in taste, in which beef liver is used instead of chicken.

Ingredients:

Beef liver - up to 500 g
Carrots - 2 pcs.
Eggs - 3 pcs.
Onion - 1 pc.
Potatoes - 2 pcs.
Bunch of greens - onion and parsley
Olives -6 pcs.
Mayonnaise - 3 tbsp. spoons
Sunflower oil - 2 tbsp. spoons

Preparation:

Boil the liver and grind it using a meat grinder or blender. Grate the carrots, chop the onion and fry until desired condition. Three boiled eggs and potatoes. Lay out the salad in layers: potatoes, mayonnaise, beef liver, carrots and onions, and then eggs. Spread mayonnaise on the surface, decorate with herbs and chopped olives.

Mushrooms would be a good addition to this salad.

An exquisite and tasty variation that will become the main decoration on the table.

Ingredients:

Red and white fish - 100 g each
Hard cheese - 100 g
Pickled cucumbers - 100 g
Potatoes - 3 pcs.
Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp. spoons
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp. spoon
Olives - 100 g
Greens - 100 g

Preparation:

Thinly slice the fish, grate the cheese, boil the potatoes, cut the cucumbers into half rings and the onion into rings.

The bottom layer is potatoes, on which the fish is laid, and then sprinkled with soy sauce and a mayonnaise grid is laid. Then add cucumbers, cheese and onions. Cover the top with mayonnaise, on which we then lay out the chopped olives. Use the remaining green onions as a garnish.

The dish can also be prepared with mushrooms, and they can be used in salad decoration

Ingredients:

Carrot - 1 pc.
Eggs - 2 pcs.
Hard cheese - 20 g.
Pickled cucumbers - 2 pcs.
Mushrooms - up to 250 g
Potatoes - 2 pcs.
Onion - 1 pc.
Olives - 10 pcs.

Preparation:

The first layer is onions, the second is pickles, and the third is grated carrots. Apply mayonnaise and then distribute thinly sliced mushrooms evenly. Next, add potatoes, mayonnaise, protein and grated cheese. Then again mayonnaise and yolk.

We draw the trunk with mayonnaise, and with the help of olives we draw characteristic strokes on the bark. Finally, sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.

The salad has a spicy flavor and excellent taste.

Ingredients:

Smoked meats - 200 g
Eggs - 2 pcs.
Salad - 200 g leaves
Olives - 50 g
Pickled cheese - 100 g
Onion (pickled) - 3 tbsp. spoons
Mayonnaise - 3 tbsp. spoons

Preparation:

Tear the salad into large pieces and place chopped smoked meats coated with mayonnaise on top. The next layer is onions and eggs. Then add grated smoked cheese and mayonnaise. We make strips of olives, which we place on top of the above layers.

A salad with nuts will be especially tasty and healthy.

Ingredients:

Smoked chicken fillet - 300 g
Cucumber - 2 pcs.
Prunes - 100 g
Mushrooms - 200 g
Onions - 1 pc.
Nuts - 50 g
Eggs - 6 pcs.

Preparation:

Soak for 15 minutes, dry and cut the prunes into strips. Fry the champignons and onions. Cut the fillet and cucumbers. Grind the eggs and make a dressing out of them, sprinkling with pepper and adding mayonnaise.

The first layer is fillet, then prunes with nuts, cucumbers, champignons and again smoked fillet covered in sauce. All this is poured with sauce, covered with cling film and placed in the refrigerator for three hours. Afterwards we decorate the dish with prunes.

This birch is very beneficial for the body, as it contains many beneficial vitamins and also has a delicate taste.

Ingredients:

Parsley - 50 g
Green onions - 1 bunch
Sour cream - 3 tbsp. spoons
Garlic - 2 cloves
Basil - 3 leaves
Apple cider vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

Wash thoroughly and then chop the existing greens. Pour vinegar over it and add a teaspoon of salt. Then add chopped eggs mixed with crushed garlic cloves and add sour cream. Cut the basil leaves into small strips and add to the salad.

A curious feature of this variation is the presence of sour cream instead of mayonnaise and Chinese cabbage.

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 300 g
Cucumber - 1 pc.
Birch leaves - 50 g
Greens - 50 g
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Vinegar (apple) - 1 tbsp. spoon
Sour cream - 2 tbsp. spoons
Olives - up to 5 pcs.

The Birch salad, also known as White Birch and Birch Grove, is a treasure of Russian cuisine. Similar appetizers can be found in other countries, but the “Berezka” salad with chicken and prunes differs from them in the basic composition and presentation features. It almost always includes cucumbers, mushrooms, eggs, onions and mayonnaise, sometimes other ingredients are included. All of them are laid in layers in the shape of a log, smeared with mayonnaise, decorated with parsley and prunes cut into thin strips. This gives it a resemblance to the trunk of a birch tree, which is one of the symbols of Russia. The taste and presentation of the snack make it worthy of a festive table, where it will become one of the main decorations. The “Prague”, “Overture” and “Marseille” salads have a similar composition, the recipes of which, together with the classic version of “Berezki”, will be given in this material.

Culinary secrets

Recipes for Berezka salad are varied, and the technology for their preparation is not always identical. However, we can offer readers a few general rules that will make the snack especially tasty, beautiful and healthy.

White Birch salad is a layered salad, so it must be prepared 2-3 hours before serving so that the layers have time to soak in the sauce.
Be sure to cool the ingredients to room temperature before assembling the salad, otherwise the salad will quickly spoil.
Try not to change the sequence of food placement recommended in the recipe.
Before chopping, it is recommended to steam the prunes by keeping them in warm water for 20-30 minutes.
The salad will be tastier if the onions are marinated beforehand. To do this, the vegetable is crushed and immersed in lemon juice or vinegar diluted with water for at least half an hour. For taste, you can add sugar, salt, and seasonings to the marinade.
If you want to reduce the calorie content of a dish, use boiled chicken breast fillet, fresh cucumbers, reduce the number of eggs to a minimum, do not fry the mushrooms, but boil them or use canned ones. Mayonnaise can be replaced with Greek yogurt or sour cream, but this will affect the taste of the snack.

Show your imagination by decorating the dish before serving - your guests will certainly appreciate it.

Classic recipe for “Berezka” salad with mushrooms

What you need:

boiled chicken breast (fillet) – 0.4 kg;
champignons – 0.4 kg;
onion – 0.2 kg;
cucumbers (fresh or pickled) – 0.3 kg;
chicken egg – 3 pcs.;
pitted prunes – 150 g;
vegetable oil, mayonnaise - how much will be needed;
greens - for decoration.

How to cook:

Boil chicken breast and eggs. Cool.
Separate the fillet from the bone by removing the skin. Cut the fillet into small cubes.
Peel and grate the eggs.
Cut the cucumbers into cubes or strips.
Pour boiling water over the prunes. After 20 minutes, drain the water, dry the dried fruits with a towel, and cut into strips. Set aside some to decorate the dish.
Cut the mushrooms into slices, fry in oil along with onion cut into thin half rings.
On a rectangular or oval shaped dish (or in the same salad bowl), place in layers: half the chicken, prunes, cucumbers, remaining chicken, champignons, eggs. Coat all layers with mayonnaise.

All that remains is to decorate the salad with herbs and prunes set aside, let it soak for a couple of hours, putting it in the refrigerator during this time. In restaurants, the classic recipe is often changed slightly, including nuts and slightly adjusting the cooking technology.

Restaurant version of “Berezki” with nuts

What you need:

chicken breast (fillet), smoked or baked – 0.4 kg;
porcini mushrooms or champignons – 0.2 kg;
chicken egg – 0.5 dozen;
onion – 75 g;
walnut kernels - a glass;
pitted prunes – 10-12 pcs.;
fresh or pickled cucumbers – 0.2 kg;
butter – 40 g;
mayonnaise - how much will it take?

How to cook:

Cut the chicken fillet into small cubes and divide into 2 parts. Place one of them in the shape of a rectangle on an oval dish, brush with mayonnaise.
Cut the steamed prunes into strips, place two thirds of them on the chicken, leave the rest for decoration, cover with a thin mesh of mayonnaise.
Crush the nuts in a mortar or blender and sprinkle them over the prunes.
Peel the cucumbers, chop into thin strips, place on the nuts, brush with sauce.
Place the remaining chicken on the cucumbers and brush with mayonnaise.
Cut the mushrooms into strips, the onions into small pieces. Fry in butter, place in the next layer. Cover it with mayonnaise mesh.
Grate the eggs, mix with mayonnaise, place on top, brush with another layer of mayonnaise.
Arrange the prune straws. Additionally, you can decorate the salad with herbs.

This version of the White Birch salad in a banquet version is suitable for any celebration, including a wedding, anniversary or regular birthday, Valentine’s Day and March 8th.

A simple version of “Berezka” (home-style, without mushrooms)

What you need:

boiled chicken meat – 0.3 kg;
pitted prunes – 100-120 g;
egg – 4 pcs.;
onion – 75 g;
mayonnaise - how much will it take?

How to cook:

Finely chop the boiled chicken meat.
Cut the onion into quarters of rings. Marinate or scald with boiling water. Squeeze.
Steam the prunes and dry. Cut into strips.
Grate hard-boiled eggs.
Layer or mix chicken, onions, prunes, eggs. Lubricate the layers with mayonnaise or season the salad with it.
Decorate the dish with pieces of dried fruit and herbs.

This salad can be prepared in a hurry for dinner or for the unexpected arrival of guests.

“Berezka” with apple and cheese

What you need:

boiled chicken – 0.3 kg;
apples – 0.4 kg;
eggs – 4 pcs.;
pickled onions – 150 g;
prunes – 100 g;
cheese – 0.2 kg;
mayonnaise, herbs - as much as it takes.

How to cook:

Marinate onions, cut into rings, in a vinegar solution, mixing it with hot water in a ratio of 1:3.
Peel the apples from the core and peel. Coarsely grate and squeeze.
Cut dried fruits into strips.
Grind the whites and yolks of boiled eggs separately.
Finely grate the cheese.
Place the onion inside the cooking ring, place the chicken on it, brush with mayonnaise.
Sprinkle with yolks, add prunes and apples. If desired, you can omit the prune layer and use it only to decorate the dish.
Sprinkle with cheese, egg whites, and coat with sauce.

All that remains is to decorate the salad to your liking. When it has cooled, remove the cooking ring and serve the appetizer to the table. It has a delicate fresh taste that ladies will like. If you replace mayonnaise with sour cream or white yogurt, you will get a dietary version of the Berezka salad.

Salad "Marseille" with chicken, prunes and carrots

What you need:

boiled chicken fillet – 180 g;
dried prunes – 80 g;
boiled carrots (can be replaced with a Korean snack) – 100 g;
garlic – 2 cloves;
walnut kernels – 40 g;
chicken egg – 2 pcs.;
cheese – 100 g;
mayonnaise – 0.25 l;
basil - for decoration.

How to cook:

Cut the chicken into cubes, prunes into strips.
Coarsely grate the cheese and boiled eggs, mix, adding garlic and mayonnaise passed through a press.
Layer the chicken first, then the prunes, then the carrots, coating the layers with mayonnaise.
Cover with a layer of cheese and eggs.
Garnish with crushed nuts and herbs.

There are no onions or mushrooms in the recipe, but there are carrots and garlic. The salad tastes even more piquant than the classic “Beryozka”. The presentation of the snacks is also different.

“Overture” salad with chicken and prunes - an analogue of “Beryozka”

What you need:

chicken fillet – 0.25 kg;
pickled mushrooms – 0.25 kg;
cheese – 100 g;
walnuts – 0.5 cups;
prunes – 100 g;
onion – 50 g;
mayonnaise – 150 ml.

How to cook:

Grind all ingredients and mix separately with mayonnaise. Do not mix only nuts with the sauce.
Place in a salad bowl in the following order: mushrooms, onions, chicken, prunes, cheese, nuts.

The taste of the “Overture” salad is not at all like “Beryozka”, although they use a similar set of ingredients.

Chicken Prague salad with prunes

What you need:

boiled or smoked chicken breast (fillet) – 0.3 kg;
carrots – 0.2 kg;
pickled cucumbers – 0.2 kg;
canned green peas - a jar;
onion – 1 head;
dried prunes – 150 g;
chicken egg – 2-3 pcs.;
lemon juice – 20 ml;
water – 40 ml;
mayonnaise - how much will it take?

How to cook:

Cut the onion into half rings, marinate in a mixture of hot water and lemon juice.
Pour boiling water over the prunes, dry after 20 minutes, cut into strips.
Also cut the chicken.
Grate the boiled eggs.
Boil the carrots and chop them on a grater.
Finely chop the cucumbers.
Layer the inside of the cake baking ring, covering each ingredient with a mayonnaise mesh: chicken, onions, cucumbers, eggs, carrots, green peas. Add the prunes last, without covering them with sauce.

Externally, the salad resembles a cake; it is not at all similar to the Russian “Beryozka” in appearance, but is very reminiscent of it in taste.

“Berezka” salad with chicken and prunes can decorate a festive table. It looks good on a table set on the occasion of a lady’s birthday, March 8, Family Day, Love and Fidelity (Peter and Fevronya Day), February 14, as well as a wedding anniversary.