SaladNicoise

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a bowl and then whisk in the oil in dribbles until the mixture emulsifies.

Salad
8 cups mesclun mix or Bibb lettuce, washed and torn into pieces
1 pound fresh tuna steak or 2 cans Italian olive oil packed tuna or 2 cans albacore tuna in oil
8 small red potatoes or 4 Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 pound haricot vert or thin, tender green beans
2 cups globe cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion sliced as thinly as possible
4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise
3/4 cup Nicoise or other oil cured black olives (not canned)
1 2 oz can anchovy fillets
2 TB capers, rinsed
12 sprigs Italian parsley or your favorite fresh herb

If using fresh tuna, brush with olive oil, kosher salt and crushed black pepper and grill over medium high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Allow to rest and carve into thin slices. If using canned tuna, drain most but not all of the oil from each can. Cook the potatoes in salted, boiling water until tender. Slice into quarters and dress with 2 to 3 TB of the vinaigrette.

Blanch the green beans in salted water just until tender crisp, remove from water, rinse with cold water and dry. Dress beans with 2 TB of the vinaigrette. Combine the lettuce and the red onion slices and dress with 4 to 5 TB of the vinaigrette and arrange on 4 dinner plates.

Place the tuna in the center of each plate. Surround the tuna with the potatoes. Arrange the green beans and the eggs in a ring around the potatoes. Top each egg quarter with half an anchovy fillet. Sprinkle each plate with one quarter of the tomatoes, olives and the capers and top with parsley sprigs. Pass the extra vinaigrette at table.


		Salad Nicoise
Sue Kleber The basic components are cooked separately, lightly dressed and arranged on individual plates or on a very showy large, low platter and served as a lunch or first course of a leisurely dinner. It seems that there are as many recipes for salad Nicoise as there are cookbooks, but the basic components are tuna, waxy new potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs and tiny black oil-cured olives and perhaps anchovy fillets, capers, bell pepper strips and red onion rings. Some recipes call for tossing all the ingredients together and some for making separate little piles of each ingredient and the way I like to make it splits the difference, but the beauty of the dish is that each ingredient is the freshest and tastiest available. We are coming to that time of the year when garden produce is at its very best. When you can get just picked baby green beans, tomatoes bursting with flavor and mixed baby lettuce or perfect Bibb lettuce, it’s time to celebrate by making the classic composed vegetable salad “ ala Nicoise” or in the style of that served in Nice, France.			Vinaigrette 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 TB vinegar 2 TB lemon juice 1 TB Dijon mustard 3/4 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1 small shallot, minced Combine all ingredients except the oil in a bowl and then whisk in the oil in dribbles until the mixture emulsifies. Salad 8 cups mesclun mix or Bibb lettuce, washed and torn into pieces 1 pound fresh tuna steak or 2 cans Italian olive oil packed tuna or 2 cans albacore tuna in oil 8 small red potatoes or 4 Yukon Gold potatoes 1/2 pound haricot vert or thin, tender green beans 2 cups globe cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 red onion sliced as thinly as possible 4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise 3/4 cup Nicoise or other oil cured black olives (not canned) 1 2 oz can anchovy fillets 2 TB capers, rinsed 12 sprigs Italian parsley or your favorite fresh herb If using fresh tuna, brush with olive oil, kosher salt and crushed black pepper and grill over medium high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Allow to rest and carve into thin slices. If using canned tuna, drain most but not all of the oil from each can. Cook the potatoes in salted, boiling water until tender. Slice into quarters and dress with 2 to 3 TB of the vinaigrette. Blanch the green beans in salted water just until tender crisp, remove from water, rinse with cold water and dry. Dress beans with 2 TB of the vinaigrette. Combine the lettuce and the red onion slices and dress with 4 to 5 TB of the vinaigrette and arrange on 4 dinner plates. Place the tuna in the center of each plate. Surround the tuna with the potatoes. Arrange the green beans and the eggs in a ring around the potatoes. Top each egg quarter with half an anchovy fillet. Sprinkle each plate with one quarter of the tomatoes, olives and the capers and top with parsley sprigs. Pass the extra vinaigrette at table.
	Courtesy of: Real Estate & Living www.somocorealestate.com