Nicoise Salad
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.
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.
Notes
To make it even better, here are five tips I've learned over the years:
1. Use olive oil-packed tuna or use a lot of olive oil and lemon directly on your tuna. Dry clumps or shreds of tuna in the salad feel like an eraser in your mouth. Tuna needs moisture.
2. Make a simple dressing. Make a dressing of 1 part fresh-squeezed lemon juice, three parts great olive oil, salt, pepper and a lump Dijon mustard. Keep it simple but strong.
3. Warm potatoes, warm eggs, cold dressing. Boil potatoes and slice while still warm. I scrub but don't peel them if the skins are thin. Place them still warm onto the salad, and pour the cool dressing directly onto them. It absorbs and each potato becomes a small salad in itself.
4. Don't skimp on capers, or olives. Capers and olives are the salt of your salad. Rinse the capers briefly to get rid of excess salt or vinegar, then scatter like salt across the surface. Use whatever good olives you have, not the canned California type. I prefer kalamata olives in my Nicoise. Saltier and meatier. If they're not pitted, warn your guests.
5. Eggs slightly undercooked, beans slightly overcooked. Soft eggs with bright yolks taste better and separate your salad from the stuff they serve at the cafe in your office building. And green beans that are one smidge softer than al dente soak up the dressing better, melt in with the rest. Place your eggs in cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat a bit and continue on a gentle boil for two and a half minutes. Drain and let sit. When ready to serve, peel and slice in half. As for the beans, blanch in boiling water until very tender, just past bright green. Immediately plunge into cold water, drain, and add to salad.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
