Nicoise Salad
“I fell in love with this simple yet filling salad when I first visited Provence a few decades ago,” says chef Marc- André Choquette of Tableau at the Loden Hotel. Showcasing the best of warmweather ingredients, like young nugget potatoes, freshpicked green beans and tiny Nicoise olives, Choquette has garnished this beautiful salad with lightly seared local albacore tuna tossed in a tomato vinaigrette. This salad is summer at its best. 1 tablespoon ( 15 ml) vegetable oil 1 pound ( 454 g) albacore tuna filet 4 yellow nugget potatoes handful of French green beans 2 to 3 sun- dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, drained ¼ cup ( 60 ml) Nicoise olives ¼ English cucumber, seeded, peeled and cut in ½ - inch ( 1- cm) cubes 2 heads butter lettuce 2 hard- boiled large eggs ½ cup ( 125 ml) tomato dressing ( see recipe below) In a medium- sized pan, heat vegetable oil over mediumhigh heat. Carefully place the tuna into the pan and sear each side until cooked on all sides. For a rare tuna, sear for about 1 minute on each side. Reserve. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender ( about 10 minutes) then allow potatoes to cool in cooking liquid. Reserve. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Cook green beans until just tender ( about 2 minutes) then plunge into ice water. Allow beans to cool, then cut into bite size pieces. Cut the egg into quarters ( one half per serving). In a large bowl combine all vegetables together and toss with the tomato dressing. Divide and transfer vegetables and pile on serving plate. Slice the tuna and set equal portions on each plate on top of vegetables. Tomato dressing ½ cup ( 125 ml) tomato vinegar ( available at specialty stores) 1 tablespoon ( 15 ml) Dijon mustard 1 cup ( 250 ml) extra- virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon ( 15 ml) honey ¼ teaspoon ( 1 ml) cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon ( 1 ml) smoked paprika ¼ teaspoon ( 1 ml) sweet paprika Combine all ingredients together minus the olive oil. Whisk well and slowly add the olive oil in steady stream.
Makes 4 servings