Nicoise Salad

I had a nice Nicoise Salad when having lunch with Holly and Rebecca at The Grove Cafe in Albuquerque (June 2006). I had the dressing on the side and brought home what I didn't use. Charlie and I decided to make a Nicoise salad on our own to use up the dressing. The salad turned out great. We decided it'll be something we make regularly.

This is how we are making it now. We're still experimenting with the dressing, but the one below tastes good.

The ingredients keep well leftover if you let each person mix and dress his/her own salad, i.e., don't mix and dress it ahead of time. Just lay out the ingredients in individual serving plates. They look beautiful. Will make you want to take a picture.

The Recipe serves 2 or 3.

It works well to cook the potatoes, eggs, and green beans several hours ahead of time (or the day before) and store in the frig so they are chilled. But, if you don't make them ahead of time, just run under cold water to cool them off before slicing for the salad.

Course Main Course, Salad

Keyword Mile-High, WW

Servings 3

Ingredients

4 hard-boiled eggs, cooled, peeled, then sliced lengthwise into quarters cooled, peeled, and then sliced lengthwise into quarters
3 small potatoes with skins, cut into quarters and boiled till tender (don't overcook); sliced lengthwise after they are cooled (use something like new potatoes or red rose potatoes)
1-1/2 cups lightly steamed green beans, cooled (frozen works ok)
1 can tuna, drained and flaked. (or cook fresh tuna if you have it, or canned or fresh salmon is good, too)
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 cups fresh leaf lettuce or raw spinach, cleaned and dried
1 T capers
3 T nicoise olives (optional; other olives are fine if you don't have nicoise)
fresh herbs such as basil or tarragon

Dressing Ingredients:

3 tbsp. good olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar (get one that's not too acidic, we've found 5% acidity works well)
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves finely minced (optional)
2 tsp dried basil or several leaves of fresh basil (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper (or more or less to taste)

Instructions

Mix ingredients in a jar and shake. (If you use fresh basil you might want to put all the ingredients in a blender or small food processor so the basil gets chopped up finely.)
Put individual salad ingredients on individual serving plates. Don't mix ahead of time.
Give people large bowls in which to build/mix their own salad and dress as they like.

Variations:

Add anchovies
Add red onion

Notes

WW Points Per Serving: 4 (without olives, assuming you use up all the dressing)

Here's another photo we took:

Here's a website with similar recipe: http://www.mediterrasian.com/delicious_recipes_salade_nicoise.htm