Monday, May 14, 2012

Mmm Niçoise Salad


I've long heard of the deliciousness that is a Niçoise salad, but I've never had one until I made it the other night. I wasn't in the mood for a big meal for dinner, so I opted to make what would be the perfect dinner for a warm evening. It serves two for a satisfying dinner. Not to sound all Ina Garten, but I splurged on some fancy jarred tuna.. definitely worth it. A must make!


Tuna Salad Niçoise
12 ounces fingerling potatoes
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
shallot, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 7.8-ounce jar canned oil-packed tuna
Freshly ground black pepper
2 hard-cooked eggs
4 ounces haricot vert, trimmed and blanched
6 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 ounces mesclun greens
¼ cup Niçoise or Kalamata olives

Place the potatoes in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by several inches. Add several large pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a plate. Let rest for about 15 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle.

Whisk together the red wine vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme, rosemary, and parsley in a medium bowl. Continue whisking while adding the oil in a thin stream. Drain the tuna and whisk the oil from the tuna into the vinaigrette. Season the vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. Cut the potatoes into quarters when they are cool enough to handle and toss with enough vinaigrette to coat in a medium bowl. 

Cut the eggs into sixths and flake the tuna. In separate bowls, toss the haricot vert, tomatoes, and greens with enough vinaigrette to coat. 

Mound the greens on a platter. Arrange the potatoes, haricot vert, tomatoes, eggs, olives, and tuna decoratively atop the greens. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Album of the Moment: Fear Fun by Father John Misty


This album is pretty fantastic. Father John Misty is the nomme de plume of the former Fleet Foxes drummer, J. Tillman. Like Fleet Foxes, it's very modern folk, if you will. His music is dark and hauntingly beautiful. Actually, it probably sounds just like the photo above-- strange and surreal yet casual. I had a pretty low key weekend and listened to it on vinyl (which probably makes it sound better, to be honest.)

I recommend you buy it on iTunes, but you can stream it here on YouTube.


Also, I'm absolutely obsessed with this song: