Jacques Pepin Salad Nicoise Recipes

SALADE NIçOISE RECIPE

Steps:

• To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar (or lemon juice), basil, and garlic in a bowl. Add salt and pepper, and any optional ingredients such as mustard or mayonnaise.
• Boil the eggs for 8 minutes, then let cool in a bowl of cold water. Remove egg shells and chop into quarters.
• Rinse the mesclun lettuce and arrange in a large serving bowl.
• Chop the tomatoes into quarters and toss into the serving bowl, along with the eggs.
• Shred the tuna (or anchovies) into small pieces and add in the bowl.
• Drain and rinse the canned fava beans and put in a pot of boiling water. Bring to a simmer and cook for approx 5-8min until soft.
• Add the rest of the ingredients into the serving bowl and toss the salad.
• Let salad rest for 20 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl; drizzle with the wine and let cool. Reserve the saucepan.
• Meanwhile, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with salted ice water. Add the haricots verts to the boiling water; cook until crisp-tender and bright green, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to cool; drain and pat dry.
• Place the eggs in the reserved saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from the heat and let stand, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, then run under cold water to cool. Peel under cold running water.
• Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.
• Toss the tomatoes ian a small bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Add about 1/4 cup dressing to the potatoes and toss. Quarter the hard-cooked eggs.
• Divide the lettuce among 4 plates. Arrange the potatoes, haricots verts, radishes, hard-cooked eggs and tuna on top. Pour any juices from the tomatoes into the dressing, then add the tomatoes to the plates. Drizzle with the dressing and top with the olives.

SALADE NIçOISE WITH FRESH TUNA

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cool water and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and boil gently for 25 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but still firm when pierced with a fork. Drain off the water and set the potatoes aside until cool enough to slice.
• Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, mix together the mustard, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Whisk until it comes together.
• Peel the potatoes, if desired, and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Toss with the dressing.
• Bring the 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the beans, cover and return to a boil. Boil over high heat for 1 to 3 minutes (less for haricot verts and more for larger beans) until just tender but slightly firm to the bite. Drain and run under cold water for a few seconds to stop the cooking and preserve the bright green color. Cut the beans in half.
• Peel the yellow pepper as best you can with a vegetable peeler (much easier to do if the pepper is firm and thick-walled). Then cut the pepper through the pleats, remove and discard the seeds and continue peeling the skin from the pieces. Pile up the peeled pepper wedges and cut them into thin julienne strips (about 1 1/2 cups). Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise, press out the seeds and cut the unpeeled flesh into 1-inch pieces.
• No more than 1 hour before serving, add the beans, yellow pepper, red onions, tomatoes and black olives to the potatoes. Mix well.
• When almost ready to serve, heat 1 large cast-iron or heavy skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes, until very hot. Sprinkle the tuna with the remaining 2 teaspoons of black pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt and then roll in the canola oil. Place the tuna steak in the hot skillet and sauté over high heat for about 2 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned on the outside and cooked until rare on the inside. Cut into 1/2-inch slices.
• To serve, line a large platter with the lettuce leaves. Mound the salade niçoise in the center of the platter and place the sliced tuna and the basil leaves on top. Serve immediately.

SALAD NIçOISE WITH SEARED TUNA

Steps:

• 1. For the dressing, whisk together the mustard, garlic, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper; set aside.
• 2. Place potatoes into a large saucepan and add enough water to cover potatoes. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and boil gently for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender but still somewhat firm (so they don't "mash" or crumble easily when tossed), Drain water, and set potatoes aside until cool enough to handle.
• 3. Once cooled, cut potatoes into 1/2-inch slices, and toss with the dressing.
• 4. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add beans, cover pan, and bring back to a brisk boil, and boil for 2 to 3 minutes, just until tender but still slightly firm. Drain water and run beans under cool running water to stop cooking and to preserve the deep green color of the beans. Cut beans in half.
• 5. Slice the yellow pepper into half, remove seeds, then cut each half into paper-thin julienned strips (should be about 1 1/2 cups).
• 6. Cut tomatoes in half, then cut each half into 1/2-inch thick slices. Cut onion in half, then cut each half into thin half-rings. To this point, the steps above can be done in advance and stored in refrigerator until ready to assemble the salad.
• 7. No more than 1 hour prior to serving the salad, add potatoes, beans, yellow pepper, onion slices, tomatoes and black olives to a large salad bowl. Toss well.
• 8. Just prior to serving, heat a heavy-duty (or cast-iron) skillet for 2 minutes or until very hot. Roll tuna in the canola oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place tuna in hot skillet and sear over high heat for about 2 minutes. Turn tuna and sear other side for 2 minutes more or until outside is lightly browned but still pink inside. Cut tuna into 1/2-inch thick slices.
• 9. To serve, line a large platter with the lettuce leaves. Arrange the Salad Nicoise over the lettuce leaves. Arrange tuna slices over the salad. Garnish with chopped basil, and serve immediately.