By Aisha Marie
Paris, Toulouse, Marseille… who doesn’t love France with its history, its museums, and its endless cafes serving up plate after plate of delicious food. But you don’t have to run off to France to enjoy good taste. Nicoise salad lets you indulge in the luscious flavors of the Mediterranean right in your own home.
My daughter made her own version of Nicoise salad for me when we were in Paris together. Now, whenever I am feeling a little nostalgic I make a plate of it for myself and I am transported back to the City of Light and the beautiful days that we spent there.
Ingredients:
- 1 can tuna (solid white)
- 20 fresh, tender green beans
- 8 new baby potatoes (boiled and sliced in half or quarters)
- 20 black olives
- 3-4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 10 cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
- 2 boiled eggs (sliced in quarters)
- Lettuce leaves
- ¼ c. Olive oil
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and Pepper
Directions: Open the can of tuna and drain well. Boil the green beans in salted water for 3-5 minutes until crisp tender. Remove from the water and keep to the side. Now in a skillet with a little olive oil, fry together the baby potatoes, the olives and the chopped garlic for a few minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the potatoes are golden on the edges. This will take 3-5 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat, and add to this mixture the tuna, the beans, and the tomatoes.
Arrange lettuce leaves on two individual plates. Divide the contents of the skillet evenly between the two plates, and place the quartered eggs on top. Make a dressing by whisking together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Pour evenly over the salads.
Serve the salad, turn on some French accordion music and voilà! You are in a French bistro!