Salad Nicoise

Down here in the tropical south, temperatures are 102 in the shade right now, and even though it rains every afternoon, it leaves the air hot, sticky, and steamy. Once the torrential summer downpours stop (usually around 5:30 in the evening), the sun comes back out for one of our amazing sunsets as if on cue, and you can literally see the steam rising slowly from the blacktop of the streets, while the mugginess of August fills your lungs, and the feeling of dread comes over you:  I'll never be cool again!!  And you're right...you won't...until November.  So in the meantime, try this...

 
Though it's a salad, my version has no lettuce at all and is full-bodied enough to be served for dinner.  Turn the air conditioning down, uncork a pinot noir, and dig in with someone special enough not to care that you're in such close proximity while eating anchovies, tuna, and capers! lol.  If you can't eat fish, no worries:  omit the anchovy from the dressing and substitute grilled chicken breast instead of tuna (you'll have to increase the salt and pepper to your liking, though).  If you do this, leave me a comment so we know how you liked it!

Summers almost over and we'll be wearing courderoy and eating acorn squash before you know it.  Hang in there...relief is coming...

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This salad should be cool (not cold) while assembling and warming to room temperature slightly while plating, so the robust flavors unfold as you're eating.

This is often served as a composed dish (layed out on a platter, each ingredient grouped by itself), but I like to mix mine together before serving so all the Mediterranean flavors meld together in one big bowl of deliciousness!  Feel free to add more of one ingredient and less of another, or substitute something else entirely.  This is your salad, I've just given you my ideas :)

raw vegetables

6 small white new potatoes, washed and halved
16 ounces hericots verts or fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tomatoes, cut in 8ths
1 can tuna packed in oil, drained
2 hard boiled eggs, cut lengthwise, in 4ths
2 teaspoons capers
12 pitted nicoise olives, left whole
1 loaf crusty French bread

FOR DRESSING 

boiling vegetables

red wine vinegar, 
Fresh lemon juice, Extra Virgin olive oil,  Dijon mustard, garlic clove chopped fine,
salt/pepper, 
1 anchovy filet from a can, 
dried Italian Seasoning, 
chopped fresh parsley.  As much as you want until it tastes good.

First make the dressing:  mix all,  and whisk until the anchovy is broken up completely and incorporated into the dressing.  Set aside.

Place potatoes in enough water to make a rolling boil.  Boil just until fork tender.  Add green beans and cook together approx. 1 1/2 - 2 minutes until the beans are crisp tender.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  While in colander and still hot, mix vegetables with a little bit of the dressing, add pepper and  (just a) pinch of salt.

At this point, place dressing and vegetables in the refrigerator for approx. one hour, until ready to eat, so they are chilled slightly. 


dressed vegetables

WHEN READY TO EAT:
Place vegetables in large bowl.   Add tomatoes, eggs, capers, olives, and tuna. Drizzle with more vinaigrette, as much as you'd like (you will not use all of it), and mix carefully.  Place on plates and serve with crusty bread to soak up some of the juices (the salad should be moist, though not drenched in dressing or it will get soggy as you're eating).

Serves 2

 

Only halfway done. We cleaned our plates, ate all the bread...and not a drop of wine left either!