I cannot let a summer pass without making a big Salade Nicoise at least once. The timing of a Salade Nicoise depends on just one thing... whether or not my green beans are ready. WELL... they're ready! I plant two beans each spring. One is a bush, French Haricot Verts -- the thinnest of green beans -- and the bean that I use in my Salade Nicoise. I always plant two beds from seed with their rectangular plots surrounded by 20-inch-tall bamboo fencing to keep hungry rabbits out. This year I planted one bed of the Haricot Verts in mid-April, followed by a second planting three weeks later. But I've come to realize I should have waited even longer. Both beds are going gangbusters right now. And in addition to the Haricot Verts, the heirloom purple pole beans I planted this spring are coming on with a vengeance as well. Needless to say... we will be eating a lot of beans this week at my house! Too bad these beautiful purple beans turn green once thrown into a pan of boiling water. This is a fantastic recipe for Salad Nicoise. Get some really good bread and salted butter, pour yourself a glass of Provencal Rosé and enjoy a long, leisurely al fresco meal this summer! • Salade Nicoise adapted from a recipe in The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins Recipe adjusted to feed 6 to 8 people • 16 new potatoes • 1 pound haricot verts, trimmed, or if using regular green beans trimmed and halved lengthwise • 6 cans (4 1/2 ounces) tuna (packed in olive oil), drained • 8 tablespoons finely chopped red onion • 4 tablespoons tiny capers, drained • 7 tablespoons, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice • 7 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon mild extra-virgin olive oil • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 2 generous tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped • 1 cloves minced garlic • Coarse (kosher) salt, to taste • 4 cups grape tomatoes, halved • 4 tablespoons parsley, chopped • 8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved • 1/2 cup Nicoise olives 1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. 2. Prick the potatoes with the tines of a fork, and place them in a baking dish. Bake for 1 hour, or until tender. Set aside to cool. 3. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add the beans. Simmer until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain. Wrap in a dish towel and set aside. 4. Place the tuna in a mixing bowl, and break it into large chunks. Add the red onion, capers, 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, and pepper. Toss gently until well-combined and set aside. 5. Cut the cooked potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and place them in a mixing bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, rosemary, garlic, pepper, and coarse salt. Toss to combine, and set aside. 6. Place the halved grape tomatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle with pepper, coarse salt, and the parsley. 7. Just before you are ready to serve, toss the beans with the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Season with coarse salt. 8. Arrange tomatoes, tuna, potatoes, and green beans on a large platter. Place hard boiled eggs throughout and toss Nicoise olives over the top. TAKE a LOOK:
1 Comment
7/12/2015 11:15:44 pm
My favorite salade! I had it with sardines (instead of tuna) and local yellow beans last night in a restaurant! Divine!
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