Even the most delicious dish requires some sort of decoration, so that it's a delight not only for the stomach but for the eyes as well. Actually, decorating dishes, no matter what type, is not at all easy. With a little more imagination and resolve however, anyone can learn how to do it.
The so-called art of carving requires great patience and consistency - carving elements look very stylish. As beginners however, we won't get into the complex shapes but instead begin with something quite easy.
1. Tomato rose - you will need a small knife with which to begin carefully peeling off the skin of the tomato. Start from the top of the vegetable, from the tomato cap, then go down in a spiral. After you have cut off the strip of the tomato skin, the only thing you have to do is follow the length of the spiral - begin rolling it up, being careful not to press too hard, so as not to crush the skin.
Begin from the end of the tomato strip that doesn't have the cap, so that after you form a rose, you can use the cap as a base for it. In order to have a more colorful decoration, you can place the fresh green leaves of an herb next to it.
2. The next proposal is to make a decoration using another very popular and beloved vegetable - the cucumber. A cucumber fan is made easily and turns out truly stylish. You will need a cucumber that you have washed beforehand, as well as a sharp knife, with a smaller blade possible. First, cut the cucumber lengthwise in 2.
Place one half on a cutting board and begin cutting slots along the vegetable with a thickness of about 0.1" (1.5 mm). Do not cut all the way through - keep all the pieces connected at the base. Then cut the cucumber half in an odd number of pieces (9 for example) all the way through. Next, take one of these pieces and try to tuck every other thin slice of cucumber into the base. This way you will get a fan, a suitable decoration for any salad.
3. If you prefer something different - make snowmen using mashed potatoes or cheeses. If you choose cheese, keep in mind that you will need not only brined cheese, that you have to grate, but also a softer one, such as cream cheese. In addition you will need butter, vegetables for forming the faces and a little bit of mayonnaise.
Mix the grated cheese with the cream cheese and begin to form balls of various sizes. Stick them together with the mayonnaise, and cut out eyes from the other vegetables, a mouth, a hat etc. For the arms of the snowman, you can use a green herb - dill or parsley, for the eyes use olives, and for the mouth - pieces of pepper or carrot.
