11/22 Special - Salade Nicoise

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ironchef

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Have to be at work in a couple of hours. Gonna be busy as **** tonight. Here's a special from yesterday evening:

Salade Nicoise "Nouvelle"
Pepper Seared Sashimi-Grade Big Eye Tuna, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Tear Drop Tomatoes, Baby Asparagus, 'Nalo Farms Field Greens, Nicoise Olive-Anchovy Vinaigrette

 
What a gorgeous photo of one of my favorite dishes. I also like the salad done without the tuna! :D

Here's the recipe, in case anyone wants it...

Niçoise Potato Salad with Tiny Green Beans
(atop a bed of fresh Spinach)


makes 6 servings

Vinaigrette:
2 anchovy fillets, well drained and very finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a bowl, whisk together the anchovies, mustard, garlic and vinegar. Add the oil, one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. Set the dressing aside so the flavors can mellow.

Potato Salad:
8 medium-sized red potatoes (2 pounds) scrubbed, with skins intact
2 tablespoons dry French vermouth
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chervil or flat-leaf parsley
1 cup tiny ripe Niçoise olives (or choose oil-cured ripe olives from Nyons or Morocco)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound haricots verts (tiny French green beans)
2 pounds fresh, young spinach, washed several times to remove any sand, and well dried

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
2. Trim the green beans and blanch in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat immediately and refresh in an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Toss with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette
3. While the potatoes are still hot, but cool enough to handle, slice them thickly and layer them in a wide, shallow bowl. Sprinkle each layer with some of the vermouth, red onion and parsley. Pour the vinaigrette and olives on top and, with your hands, gently toss the potatoes with the olives and dressing. Wipe the sides of the dish; add salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let the potatoes sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.
5. To serve, arrange atop the spinach and garnish with more olives and very thinly sliced red onions.

Teacher’s Tip: Any waxy potato, such as Yukon Gold or Rattes, will work well in this salad.
Wine Tip: I particularly like a Provençal white with this salad. Now that La Vieille Ferme wines are widely available, I hope you’ll make them part of your pantry.
 
IC, Ive eaten Salade Niçoise all over the Côte dAzur (I'm guessing you've had a few, also!) and never seen any two exactly the same. :chef: :LOL: but theyve all been delicious.
 
Ahhh, Salade Nicoise...I've made these at some point in time at every restaurant I've worked. (I do French) I have done many variations on this classic dish. It is always popular and like Chef June said, all different. IC, that looks great, did you sub the asparagus for the haricot verts? i love fingerling potatoes and have used them for this dish as well.
 
awesome, i usually have blanched beans that i drop in a hot pan with butter and stock...asparagus sounds great for a spring lunch dish...cool crisp asparagus seared on a hot grill with a great vinaigrett!
 
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Here's my version of another great summerdinner salad. It's most like Chef June's, I think.

Arranged salads are so cool!

Lee

Imported tuna (I like the stuff that comes in a glass jar from Italy)
Boiled Yukon Gold potatoes
Green beans (I can't easily get haricots verts)
Hard boiled egg
Nicoise olives
Tomatoes
Green onions
Bed of lettuce

Dijon vinagrette


 
Here's my version of another great summerdinner salad. It's most like Chef June's, I think.

Arranged salads are so cool!

Lee

Imported tuna (I like the stuff that comes in a glass jar from Italy)
Boiled Yukon Gold potatoes
Green beans (I can't easily get haricots verts)
Hard boiled egg
Nicoise olives
Tomatoes
Green onions
Bed of lettuce

Dijon vinagrette



WOW! That looks so appetizing. :chef:
 
that's it, after all I'm reading on here, that's what I just may order tomorrow for lunch, these all look stupid good!!!

Some recipes also call for hard boiled egg. I was thinking about also putting a sunny side up quail egg over the top but I thought it might be overkill so I 86'd that idea.
that was exactly going to be my comment, lightly cooked eggs add a creaminess and heartiness
 
That's what I made for DH's birthday dinner this week - used seared salmon instead of tuna. Sorry I didn't take a picture...had company, so there just wan't a chance. Seems a little peculiar to say to hungry people, "Wait! have to take a picture!" But everyone loved it; it was a big hit. Made a dressing with EVOO, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, tiny bit of sugar. Very mild and good.
 
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