As soon as the weather warms up, I desire more salads and the Niçoise is one of my favorites. It reminds me of the French Riviera, of summer vacations, of lunches basking in the warm February sun in a small Provençal village, knowing that in my hometown the weather was still grey and cold …
Its blend of flavors is unique, especially if you can find all the right ingredients. It will never be like the one you eat in Nice, though, simply because some flavors are inimitable: I don’t know what makes them unique but it must be a combination of atmosphere, distinctive taste of the ingredients and, most likely, the local air.
The Niçoise is too rich to be your ordinary salad, so make a meal of it, not just a side dish.
Still, it’s a salad, very easy to make and very healthy.
Ingredients:
(serves 4) Sp Sr B Gf
- ½ lb. of mixed greens
- ½ lb. of green beans
- 2 ripe organic red tomatoes
- 2 cans of oil-packed tuna (4 oz. of drained tuna)
- 2 medium golden potatoes
- 2 Tbsp. of minced shallots
- 4 eggs
- 16 anchovies fillets
- 1/2 cup black Niçoise-type olives
- 3 Tbsp. of capers
For the vinaigrette:
- ½ Tbsp. Dijon-type mustard
- 4 Tbsp. Evoo
- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- Salt Freshly ground pepper
Wash the mixed greens and dry them in a salad spinner.
Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut them into wedges.
Boil the eggs for 5 minutes, counting from when the water start boiling. Cool them down in cold water, peel them and cut them into quarters.
Cook the potatoes until firm. Let them cool down, peel and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.
Wash, trim and cook the green beans for 10 minutes. Let them cool down and cut them into 1-inch sections.
Pit the olives and set them aside.
Wash, trim and mince the shallots.
Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Put the mixed greens, the minced shallots and the green beans and in a mixing bowl and dress them with the vinaigrette, tossing well.
Divide this salad on four serving dishes and nicely arrange the other ingredients on top of it: the tuna in the middle with the egg wedges around it, then a circle of cubed potatoes, and finally the tomato wedges on the rim of the plate.
Place four anchovies over the tuna; scatter a few capers and the olives on the salad.
Serve cold.