Niçoise Salad
The version known in Nice in the late 19th century was a basic combination of tomatoes, anchovies and olive oil, described as "simple food for poor people". Traditionally the salad should be served in a wooden bowl rubbed with garlic.
The ingredients of the dish are much under debate, and chefs have many alternatives - some use the anchovies, other don't; some have strong opinions on adding boiled vegetables. Some say the salad should only be made with tomatoes. I rather like the anchovies myself. When it comes to the boiled vegetables, there I think there can be too much of a good thing, but the recipe below takes care of that conundrum quite effectively by frying the potatoes instead of plonking them in just boiled.
INGREDIENTS
For the Salad:
| For the Dressing:
|
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Boil the potatoes for about 4 minutes.
- Remove with a slotted spoon, drain, then slice them in half. (Leave the water in the pot, though; you'll use it for blanching the green beans in a few moments.)
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, with a bit of olive oil until it's quite hot, then place the sliced potatoes in the pan, cut-side down.
- Sear for a minute or two until the potatoes are lightly browned, then remove them from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Toss with kosher salt and set aside.
- Bring the water back to a boil, and add the green beans. Blanch for 2 minutes.
- Remove with tongs to a bowl of ice water to shock them and keep them from cooking further. Drain and dry them with paper towels and set aside.
- Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and anchovies in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (The anchovies are salty, so you might not need much additional salt.)
- Place the salad greens in a bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss to coat. Arrange the greens on 4 serving plates or 1 large platter. Distribute the potato halves equally, with the browned sides facing up.
- Toss the green beans, olives, and tomatoes with enough additional dressing to lightly coat them, and arrange them on the salad.
- Divide the tuna and place it in the center of plates. Arrange the hard-boiled egg quarters, then garnish with the fresh parsley and serve.
- Note: Instead of the vinaigrette, you could serve a Niçoise salad with garlic aioli.
Shamelessly filched from:
Thank you The Spruce Eats! :-)
Images: Unsplash and Freepik.
0 Comments