Salad Nicoise
If you’re a carnivore like I’ve always been, you’ll understand why I say, a salad for lunch is like undeserved punishment. It’s only after I got married a few years ago, that I started thinking of a more balanced diet and included salads in my regular fare. But this particular one is so substantial and good, even I crave it once in a while. It’s called Salad Nicoise.
This is a classic from the Nice region in France.The basic ingredients for a classic Nicoise will include anchovies, black olives, tuna, hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes. Everything else, so I’ve been told, is incidental or the ccook’s own choice.
You can use a bottled dressing but making your own from scratch will really only take a few minutes. It’s nothing at all like commercial preparations.
In the early days of my attempts at homemade dressings, I would put everything in a bottle, close the lid tight and shake it all up till it came together. I always worried about the dressing separating on me, mainly because it had – more times than I care to remember, actually.
Eventually, I realized if I make the dressing just before I serve, it won’t have time to separate – so there went all my fears….
This recipe is from Nora Daza’s “A Culinary Life” written with Michaela Fenix. It’s the best recipe for Nicoise I’ve tried.
Salad Nicoise:
3 pcs. boiled red potatoes, diced
100 gms. green beans, boiled and cut in 1/2 slices
2-4 pcs. red firm Roma tomatoes, cut into quarter of eighthslettuce (iceberg, romaine, boston, red leaf) torn in bite-sized pieces
1 c. tuna fish chunks in oil, drained
1 hard cooked egg, sliced
6 anchovy fillets
8-10 pieces black olives
Prepare a plate with all the vegetables. Leave some of the tomatoes for garnish. Arrange chunk of tuna in the center of the plate.
French Dressing:
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3-4 tbsps. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.
Put mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar in a small bowl. Add oil slowly while mixing constantly. Correct seasoning and chill before serving. Or put everything in a bottle and shake vigorously.
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