A French Riviera bistro recipe, a classic named after the city of Nice. In my opinion, one of the best combinations of salad ingredients invented. This sunny dish makes for a fine supper on a hot evening. Accompanied by a crusty bread and a glass of cool rose is just what the doctor ordered.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 45 minutes (includes chilling)
Ingredients:
Salad:
- 1 lb (450 g) small red potatoes
- 1/2 lb (225 g) young green beans, trimmed
- 1/2 lb (225 g) ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
- 2 cans of good quality tuna packed in oil, roughly flaked
- 16 oil-cured black olives
- 2 Tbsp capers, rinsed
- 8 anchovy fillets, rinsed and drained
- salad greens
Vinaigrette:
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine vinegar
- 1 large garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- flat-leaf parsley, finely minced
Preparation:
Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. Add salt and the potatoes. Boil potatoes for about 10 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain them and save the boiling water. Set potatoes aside to cool.
While potatoes are cooling, cook the beans in the same saucepan until tender but still crisp. Drain and refresh them under cold water. Set aside to cool.
When potatoes are cold enough to handle, peel and cut them into rounds. Set aside.
Add mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper to a bowl. Add olive oil in a steady stream whisking constantly. Adjust seasoning to your taste. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) of vinaigrette over the potatoes. Toss them gently. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Potatoes absorb a lot of liquid so you might like to increase the quantity of the dressing ingredients to your taste.
Divide potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, eggs, tuna, olives and salad greens among four plates. Begin with arranging the greens first, followed by the potatoes. Mound the green beans in intervals intersecting with the tomatoes. Center tuna flakes and top it with the anchovies. Arrange egg quarters around the tuna. Distribute black olives and capers among the plates. Drizzle the remaining dressing evenly over the assembled dish.
