Substantial Salad: French-Style Nicoise Salad
I've actually had this recipe in my arsenal for a few months now, but I hesitated to post it here on DelishMegish. There are several steps involved as some ingredients are cooked and some are left raw. But I realized it's too good not to share. It's colorful, textural, substantial -- everything you need and want in a salad meant as an entree.
Serves: 1 Prep time: About 30 minutes
Ingredients: 4 ounces tuna steak 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 bay leaf 2 sprigs rosemary 1/2 - 3/4 head of Boston lettuce 2" cucumber, peeled and seeded, thinly sliced 2" celery stalk, thinly sliced 1/4 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1/4 green bell pepper, thinly sliced 3-5 blanched green beans 3 fingerling potatoes 2 radishes, thinly sliced 4 olives, whole 2 anchovies 1 hardboiled egg, quartered long-ways
For the vinaigrette: 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/4 cup olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1. Poach tuna: Heat olive oil in a sauce pan, with bay leaf and rosemary. When very few bubbles form, add tuna and poach until fully cooked, about 10-15 minutes, over low heat.
2. Cook some of the vegetables: Fill a small sauce pan 3/4 with water. Add fingerling potatoes and turn heat to medium-high. Let water come to a low rolling boil, allowing the potatoes to cook through, about 15-20 minutes. When water starts boiling, add green beans to cook, about 3-5 minutes. Then add whole tomato, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Hard boil the egg: In a sauce pan, cover egg with water. Bring to boil. Reduce to low simmer for 11 minutes. Take out egg and place in cold water. When cooled, peel and slice lengthwise into quarters.
4. Wash the raw vegetables: Rinse the lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, celery and bell peppers. Pat dry with paper towel and set aside.
5. Make vinaigrette: Whisk together the red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. Add garlic. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking continuously.
6. Peel tomato and slice lengthwise into quarters. Slice fingerling potatoes in half. Trim green beans. Toss all into the vinaigrette. Toss lettuce as well.
7. Thinly slice (about 1/4") radishes, peeled and seeded cucumber, celery and bell peppers. Radishes should be left round. Cucumber and celery should be sliced width-wise. Bell peppers should be sliced into thin strips.
8. Mound lettuce in the center of plate. Arrange vegetables (tomato, fingerling potatoes, green beans, radishes, cucumber, celery, bell peppers, olives) and around it.
9. Gently break up the tuna and toss in vinaigrette. Put on top of lettuce. Criss cross anchovies on top.
My Notes Why cook only some of the vegetables? I think the potatoes are self-explanatory -- raw potatoes are gross. Plus, your body can't digest all that starch. Green beans, though safer than potatoes to eat raw, contain a toxin that causes gas or even nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. As for the tomatoes, it's mainly just French tradition to cook them quickly. Doing so also renders a bright, sweet flavor.