This story by Judy Zeidler about cooking for an empty nest really hit me hard. Judy is a glass-half-full bundle of enthusiasm, and I suppose her children follow suit. Their brood departs, they adjust their recipes, move on. I find myself not so… adjustable.
Our son left for college two years ago, and I still haven’t gotten used to cooking for three. Now our daughter is on the cusp of college, and I’m facing cooking for two. It just…sucks. A big part of the joy of cooking is the joy of feeding– at least feeding the people you love. That’s what gives me the energy to look forward to shopping and cooking after a full day at work. That’s often been my recreation after a full day at work.
Long before we had kids, I loved to cook dinner for just the two of us. Aren’t I just going back to that? Yes, and no. Ever since we filled those two seats at the dinner table, anything less than four feels a bit empty. I find myself making faster, simpler things, the kind of dishes that scale down from four servings to two but still feel like a meal.
Nicoise salad is one of those dishes. Almost every week, when the kids filled the table, I’d make one with whatever vegetables were freshest. Now I’m pushing to make a smaller version– though I still find myself making enough at least four, out of habit.
Nicoise is easy because we always have a can of tuna or a hunk of wild cold-smoked salmon, and eggs. You open, arrange with whatever good vegetables are around (lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, peppers, avocado), add capers and olives, lemon and olive oil– done. Easy– but not perfect. Here’s how to make a good nicoise salad.

Nicoise Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head butter lettuce or other green (arugula, spring mix, etc)
- 1 handful green beans trimmed
- 3 ripe tomatoes diced
- 1 avocado peeled, seeded, cubed
- 1/2 pounds potatoes scrubbed.
- 4 eggs
- olives
- capers
- 1 lemon
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 c Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Fill a 2 quart saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add green beans and boil until very tender, remove and plunge into cold water. Drain and dry.
- Add eggs to boiling water. Boil for ten minutes, remove and place in cold water.
- Add potatoes to the boiling water and cook until very tender
- In the meantime, in a large rather flat bowl, place lettuce, then arrange the vegetables in groups on top. Place tuna in center, sliced potatoes and eggs around that. Sprinkle with capers and olives. Pour dressing over all. Serve.