A New Nicoise Salad Food

SALAD NICOISE

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Set up a large bowl of ice water and line a sheet tray with a paper towel or kitchen towel. Generously season the boiling water with salt. Add the green beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a spider or drain in a colander and transfer to the ice bath. Once cooled, transfer the green beans to the lined sheet tray and pat dry.
• On a large platter or low bowl, arrange the Bibb lettuce, potatoes, grape tomatoes, green beans, eggs, olives and tuna.
• Whisk together the vinegar and Dijon with a little salt and pepper in a small bowl or measuring cup. Slowly stream in the oil while whisking until it is all combined and emulsified. Pour about half of the dressing over the salad, reserving the remaining dressing for serving. Serve with crusty French bread, if desired.

SALAD NICOISE

Steps:

• Blanch the wax beans: Plunge the beans into salted boiling water and let cook, 2 minutes. Remove and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Dry off completely.
• Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, capers and pepperoncini in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Drain the tuna. Leave the tuna in big chunks; do not crumble. Place the lettuce on a platter. Arrange the tuna, onions, wax beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, roasted peppers and olives on top. Drizzle liberally with the dressing. Garnish with the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

NIçOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• 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 kosher 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 .

EGG NIçOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl with 1 tbsp water.
• Meanwhile boil the potatoes for 7 mins, add the beans and boil 5 mins more or until both are just tender, then drain. Boil 2 eggs for 8 minutes then shell and halve.
• Toss the beans, potatoes and remaining salad ingredients, except the eggs, together in a large bowl with half the dressing. Arrange the eggs on top and drizzle over the remaining dressing.

SALAD NIÇOISE

Steps:

• First, make the dressing. Tip the olives, anchovies and garlic into a large mortar and mash with a pestle until you have a very rough paste. Scrape into a bowl, if you like, stir in the lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar, then set aside.
• Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 15 mins until tender, then drain and set aside. Cook the beans in boiling salted water for 4-5 mins until tender with a slight crunch. Drain, tip into iced water, then drain again and set aside. Boil a small pan of water and cook the eggs until cooked to your liking, about 6 mins for a soft yolk and 7½ mins for a harder yolk.
• Halve the potatoes and heat 2 tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan. Place the potatoes cut-side down in the pan and sizzle for about 4 mins until golden and crisp. Toss the potatoes in the pan to brown on all sides, then turn up the heat and add the tomatoes. Fry the tomatoes for about 1 min until just starting to blister, then season. Splash in 1 tbsp of the balsamic vinegar, then turn off the heat and scatter over the basil.
• To cook the tuna, place a non-stick frying pan over a high heat, then turn the heat down to medium and add 1 tbsp oil. Season the tuna generously, then sear for 4 mins, leaving it undisturbed in the pan to brown. Turn over and continue to cook for 4 mins on the other side. This will give you very rare tuna. For rare, cook for 2 mins more on each side and for well done, add another 4 mins on each side. Set the tuna aside to rest for a few mins.
• To serve, whisk the remaining oil and vinegar with the lemon juice in a small bowl and toss in the lettuce wedges. Place a spoonful of olive dressing into 2 serving bowls, arrange the potatoes and tomatoes over, then put a pile of beans on top. Slice the tuna in half at a slight angle and place each half on top of the beans. Wedge the lettuce around the outside, halve the eggs and position in between the lettuce. Dollop a small spoonful of olive dressing on each egg.

SALADE NIçOISE

Steps:

• To make the dressing, mash the garlic and anchovy, if using, with a small pinch of salt on a board using the blade of a large knife, or in a pestle and mortar. Combine the paste with the mustard and vinegar, then slowly stir in the tuna oil. Set aside.
• Tip the new potatoes into a large pan of cold salted water, ensuring they're well covered. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the beans and cook for 5 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into a bowl of iced water to cool. Cook the potatoes for another 5 mins until tender, then drain and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle, halve or quarter them, and toss in a large bowl with 1 tbsp of the dressing. Leave to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, cook the eggs in a second pan of simmering water for 7½ mins, then transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool. Drain the beans and eggs, then peel and halve the eggs.
• Tip the lettuce quarters, cooked beans and olives into the bowl with the potatoes. Add most of the remaining dressing and gently toss. Divide the salad between two bowls, and top with the tomatoes and eggs. Flake over the tuna, then drizzle with the rest of the dressing and season.

TUNA NIçOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Toss the potatoes with 2 tsp oil and some seasoning. Tip onto a large baking tray, then roast for 20 mins, stirring halfway, until crisp, golden and cooked through.
• Meanwhile, put eggs in a small pan of water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 mins, depending on how you like them cooked. Plunge into a bowl of cold water to cool for a few mins. Peel away the shells, then cut into halves.
• In a large salad bowl, whisk together the remaining oil, red wine vinegar, capers and chopped tomatoes. Season, tip in the onion, spinach, tuna and potatoes, then gently toss together. Top with the eggs, then serve straight away.