Salade Nicoise

[Jody]

I've always used Julia's recipe.

I head of Boston lettuce
3 Tbs Olive Oil
salt and pepper
1.5 lb green beans, haricot vert if you can find them, blanched and dried
4 tomatoes quartered and seasoned
2 cans oil packed tuna
8 hard boiled eggs
1 qt French potato salad...recipe follows
1 can anchovy fillets
1/2 cup Nicoise olives
4 Tbs capers
1/4 cup minced parsley
2/3 to 1 cup dressing...recipe follows

Line large flat platter or bowl with the lettuce leaves that have been tossed with a little Olive oil, season.
Spoon some of the dressing on the beans ,tuna and tomatoes and toss to lightly coat.

Place potatoes in center and arrange the other vegetables and eggs and tuna around them. Drizzle with a bit more vinaigrette and scatter olives capers and parsley over top.


French Potato Salad
1.5 lb warm sliced potatoes
2 Tbs minced shallots or scallions
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 TBS wine vinegar
2-3 Tbs minced parsley
2-3 Tbs Olive oil

Toss all except olive oil and let steep for about 10 min., then correct seasoning and toss again with the olive oil.


Nicoise Vinaigrette

2 strips of lemon peel , minced some times I just use my zester
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
1-2 Tbs Lemon Juice
1/2 cup oil
pepper

Mash up the lemon peel
You can add minced garlic if you like.
Mix mustard with lemon juice and peel
Whisk in the oil slowly add more lemon juice if needed and season with pepper

[sistereurope]

Demarais,
I use the recipe from Julia and Jacques Cooking at home...it's Jacques' recipe, though ;D I was lucky one year - my husband and sons went deep sea fishing and caught some tuna. We took this salad to a party and we were so proud!

4 ounces fresh tuna
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Cup Jacques vinaigrette (recipe follows)
2 Tbs chopped scallion
1/2 cup cooked waxy potatoes, like fingerlings, cut into chunks
3 Tbs black olives
1/4 cup sliced red onion
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves
1 small red ripe tomato, cut into wedges
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 hard boiled egg, quartered
A large handful mesclun or other salad greens

Cut the tuna into 1/3 inch slices and season with half of the salt. Coat the bottom of a saute pan with half of the vinaigrette and cook the tuna over high heat until seared. Set aside.

Place scallions. potato chunks, basil, tomato wedges and egg in bowl. Drizzle with 2-3 tbs of vinaigrette, season with the rest of the salt and pepper, toss. Add mesclun and toss, then add the tuna and pan juices.

Jacques' Vinaigrette
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 Tbs Dijon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar
1 Cup Olive oil (the better quality the better)

Put all ingredients into a small screw-top jar and shake. I use this recipe ALL the time, substituting balsamic for the vinegar.

[Happygoin]

Both of these, as well as my own variations, are favorite summer meals, especially when the garden comes in and fresh produce abounds.

For those of you who want tuna on your salad, but it's too hot to cook a tuna steak, there is an incredible (priced to match ) canned tuna from Spain that is worthy of a great salad. The brand is Ortiz and can be bought at Whole Foods. Really excellent. Here's my variation:

2 pounds Red Potatoes
1/2 of Jacque's Vinaigrette (see Sistereurope's post above)
1 large shallot or 1 small red onion, diced finely
1/2 pound skinny green beans or haricot verts, cut into bite-size pieces (cooked in the same pan/water as potatoes)
3 T capers
1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 3.24-oz can of Ortiz brand Bonita del Norto (tuna)

Steam or boil potatoes until very tender. Remove potatoes and put into a large bowl. Add the green beans to the pan the potatoes just came out of and cook/steam until tender.

Immediately, add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Stir to combine. At this point, I usually let the potatoes sit for a while to absorb the vinaigrette. Sometimes, I mash a few of the potatoes to encourage absorbsion. When it's cooled a bit, add all remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. May be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.

This makes a good dinner on a hot night when no one feels like cooking much. As Sistereurope said, this is an all-purpose vinaigrette that has endless variations. Sometimes I use whole-grain Dijon with the potato salad, just for a change.

[gertie]

The Oritz is delish, I can attest. I first tasted it in a version of Julia's recipe a friend calls tossed salad a la Nicoise Vinaigrette she likes to serve in summer when no one feels like cooking. She takes freshly cut leaf lettuce, tosses it with scalded fresh green beans and sliced green onions, along with the Nicoise olives, capers, cherry tomatoes, anchovies, parsley, a touch of red onion and tiny new carrot medalions, and crunch tender cooked potato fingerlings. Drain and mix vinaigrette with the tuna, about three tablespoons to half a cup tuna, along with a sprinkle of the capers and a little sun dried tomato. She puts the tuna on top of the tossed salad, arranges the just boiled eggs around the top, and drizzles with the vinaigrette. Mmmm now I can't wait for summer!

Nicoise Vinaigrette

2-3 strips of lemon peel
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBS very good Dijon mustard
Juice 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin oil
1/2 tsp parsley
fresh pepper
Can chop by hand, crushing the garlic with the salt, or just do what she does, double the recipe and use the mini-food processor, drizzling in the oil, the vinaigrette keeps well in the fridge in a tightly sealed glass jar, and is tasty over lightly steamed asparagus, broccoli, green beans from the garden.