Russian beetroot vegetable salad (Vinegret)

1. Boil the beetroot, potatoes and carrots separately in their skins until tender; cool and peel. Drain and rinse the white beans (canned or pre-cooked).

2. Cut the beetroot into cubes of about 1 cm, put them in a separate bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil – the oil coats them so they don't stain the other vegetables red.

3. Cut the potatoes, carrots and pickled cucumbers into cubes of the same size and finely chop the red onion.

4. Squeeze out the sauerkraut and chop it a little if the strands are long.

5. Mix everything with the beetroot and beans, drizzle with the rest of the sunflower oil, season with salt and pepper and chill for 30 minutes.

6. Serve cold with rye bread, on its own or alongside cold cuts.

Tip: The name comes from the French "vinaigrette", but the Russian version is made without vinegar – the sourness comes from the cucumbers and sauerkraut; fragrant cold-pressed sunflower oil is the real thing.