How Very (Not) French - Salad Nicoise Rah, Rah!

There's just something about a nicoise salad. The combination of potatoes, green beans and olives is a trinity that is a part of many great cuisines. In salads, roasted along with chicken or cod, or just the trinity solo, they are good eats. But put them together with some good quality canned tuna and they become composed salad nirvana.

Sunday morning: NY Times and brunch. Cold glass of Freixenet. Some lovely ripe brown turkey figs. Give some tuna to the cat. Start with the Review section. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what work week? Mangia!


Not Very Authentic Salad Nicoise

Per (very generous) serving

Basic Dijon vinaigrette*
3 cups Mixed spring greens
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup French green beans (cook in boiling water a scant 4 to 5 minutes and shock them immediately afterward in iced water to halt cooking....no limp beans, please!)
6 to 8 very small red potatoes, cut in half after boiling
Red and yellow grape tomatoes
1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced at an angle
2 hard boiled eggs, cut in three slices each
1/4 cup sliced Kalamata oilves
3 or 4 ounces good canned tuna

Toss the greens with some of the vinaigrette, reserving some for drizzling. Plate the greens and sprinkle on scallions. From there, you're basically composing the salad in whatever way you prefer, ending with the tuna in the center. Here's what I like to do: Place the potatoes and green beans across the plate from one another, and add the contrasting colored tomatoes on opposite sides. Put the cukes on one side and the pepper on the other in what areas remain un-topped, and and olives in two sides. Place the eggs on opposite sides. Finish with a drizzle of vinaigrette, some good grindings of black pepper and salt of your choice (pink sea salt this morning). Chow down.


* Mince one clove garlic, combine with 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard (I like coarse ground Country styles), scant teaspoon honey, 2 tbsp. capers (I love love love capers. So sue me.), 1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, slat and pepper. I tend to go vinegar-heavy in proportion to oil. Adjust to your taste.