Pedestrian Salad Nicoise Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Blanch the wax beans: Plunge the beans into salted boiling water and let cook, 2 minutes. Remove and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Dry off completely.
• Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, capers and pepperoncini in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Drain the tuna. Leave the tuna in big chunks; do not crumble. Place the lettuce on a platter. Arrange the tuna, onions, wax beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, roasted peppers and olives on top. Drizzle liberally with the dressing. Garnish with the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, parsley, olives, onion, tuna and green beans. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
• In large bowl, toss greens with vinaigrette and top with chilled potato mixture. Garnish with eggs, tomatoes, capers and anchovies.

Steps:

• Potatoes: Fill a small saucepan with water. Add potatoes, thyme sprig, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Haricots vert: Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add a big pinch of salt, followed by haricots verts. Cook until tender with a slight snap, 4-9 minutes depending on size. Eggs: Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, use a spoon to gently ease eggs into the water. Cook exactly 7½ minutes. Meanwhile, prepare two ice baths: Fill two large bowls with water and plenty of ice.
• Scallions: Trim away the very end of the root while keeping scallion intact; remove the thick outer layer. Cut away the dark green top, leaving a 3-inch length of white and light-green scallion. Make several 1-inch vertical cuts down the top to create a scallion "brush." Repeat with all the scallions and place them in an ice bath to preserve freshness. Radishes: Slice each radish lengthwise into thin slices. Set aside.
• When beans are mostly tender with a touch of firmness, use a strainer to transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Remove eggs and place them into the same ice bath. Check potatoes for doneness by piercing one with a knife; there should be no resistance. Remove potatoes and set aside; discard thyme and bay leaf. Peel eggs, slice in half lengthwise, and set aside.
• Assembly: On a serving platter, layer the Boston lettuce, followed by the baby gem. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and distribute evenly, followed by haricots verts, scallions, whole tomatoes, radish, large chunks of tuna, and eggs. Garnish with leaves of basil and chervil.
• Pit olives (optional): Place olives on a flat surface. Press the bottom of a small bowl on the olives to loosen their pits; remove and discard the pits. Scatter the pitted olives over the salad. Next, tuck small bunches of arugula within the lettuce. Finally, finish assembling the salad by laying about 10 anchovies evenly across the top.
• Chef Boulud offers two options for dressing the salad. Lemon & Oil Dressing: Zest lemon evenly over the salad, then sprinkle with lemon juice. Drizzle with olive oil, and finish with pepper and salt. (Note: Use salt with moderation, since the tuna and anchovies are already salted.) Grand-Mère's Vinaigrette: In a bowl, add the sliced garlic and a pinch of salt. Use a fork to mash the garlic into a coarse paste. Add mustard, vinegar, and pepper; stir to combine. Add olive oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly with the fork to emulsify. Add a teaspoon of water at a time, whisking between additions, to thin vinaigrette as desired. Place vinaigrette into a serving dish and serve alongside the salad.

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Set up a large bowl of ice water and line a sheet tray with a paper towel or kitchen towel. Generously season the boiling water with salt. Add the green beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a spider or drain in a colander and transfer to the ice bath. Once cooled, transfer the green beans to the lined sheet tray and pat dry.
• On a large platter or low bowl, arrange the Bibb lettuce, potatoes, grape tomatoes, green beans, eggs, olives and tuna.
• Whisk together the vinegar and Dijon with a little salt and pepper in a small bowl or measuring cup. Slowly stream in the oil while whisking until it is all combined and emulsified. Pour about half of the dressing over the salad, reserving the remaining dressing for serving. Serve with crusty French bread, if desired.

Steps:

• To make the dressing, mash the garlic and anchovy, if using, with a small pinch of salt on a board using the blade of a large knife, or in a pestle and mortar. Combine the paste with the mustard and vinegar, then slowly stir in the tuna oil. Set aside.
• Tip the new potatoes into a large pan of cold salted water, ensuring they're well covered. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the beans and cook for 5 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into a bowl of iced water to cool. Cook the potatoes for another 5 mins until tender, then drain and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle, halve or quarter them, and toss in a large bowl with 1 tbsp of the dressing. Leave to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, cook the eggs in a second pan of simmering water for 7½ mins, then transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool. Drain the beans and eggs, then peel and halve the eggs.
• Tip the lettuce quarters, cooked beans and olives into the bowl with the potatoes. Add most of the remaining dressing and gently toss. Divide the salad between two bowls, and top with the tomatoes and eggs. Flake over the tuna, then drizzle with the rest of the dressing and season.

Steps:

• Steam the potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes. Cool. In a bowl, whisk together the mustard, lemon juice and shallots. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Season with the 3/4 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Set aside.
• Blanch the green beans in salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Drain. Place in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and salt and pepper to taste.
• Thinly slice the potatoes and put in a bowl. Add the scallions and thyme. Toss with 2 tablespoons of dressing, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Place the tuna in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of dressing, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
• Toss the tomatoes with 4 teaspoons of dressing and salt and pepper. Toss lettuce with 1 tablespoon dressing and salt and pepper.
• Divide the lettuce among 4 large plates, mounding it in the center. Surround with mounds of the potato salad, tomatoes, tuna salad, green beans and egg. Coil 2 anchovies over the eggs on each plate. Scatter the olives over the tomatoes and the eggs. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Quarter the lettuce through the root end. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Place each quarter on a large plate or in a shallow bowl. Drain the tuna and place in a bowl; flake into bite-size pieces with a fork and scatter over the lettuce. Next, scatter the potatoes, beans, pepper, artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Arrange an egg half to the side of each plate. Sprinkle the dish with the anchovies, olives and capers.
• Mix the vinegar, mustard and garlic in a bowl. Whisk in the oil until thickened. Season with the salt, pepper and herbs. Drizzle over salads. Serve.

Steps:

• Heat a well-seasoned grill pan over high heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, shallot, anchovy paste, and capers. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Set aside. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with several inches of cold water. Place the pan, uncovered, over high heat, stirring occasionally, until just before the water comes to a boil. Cover, turn off the heat, and cook for 12 minutes. Immediately transfer the eggs with a slotted spoon to ice bath. Let cool completely, about 5 minutes. Pat dry, one egg at a time; peel and halve. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath. Fill a medium saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook haricots verts until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer beans, with slotted spoon, to ice bath. Drain well and pat dry. Drizzle with rice wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath. Place potatoes in medium-sized pot. Cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until fork-tender, about 8 minutes. Immediately transfer potatoes with slotted spoon to ice bath. Drain well and pat dry. Cut in half lengthwise. Drizzle with vermouth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Toss lettuces with some of the anchovy-caper dressing and place on large serving platter. Toss potatoes, haricots verts, and cherry tomatoes separately with dressing and arrange over lettuce.
• Arrange tuna over salad and drizzle with dressing. Garnish salad with eggs and Nicoise olives.

Steps:

• For the dressing: In a mixing bowl, combine Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, olive oil, vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper. Whisk to blend, add 1/4 cup water, and whisk again. Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
• For the salad: In a medium saucepan, combine potatoes, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme and one tablespoon of the sea salt. Cover with cold water. Place over high heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand in saucepan; do not drain.
• While the potatoes are simmering, place the eggs and two tablespoons salt in a saucepan. Cover with cold water. Place over high heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand in saucepan; do not drain.
• In a mixing bowl, combine 3 cups water and 1 cup ice cubes; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine 3 cups of water and 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil, add green beans, and blanch until crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and transfer to ice water. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then drain.
• Cut the tomatoes into 12 irregular chunks, and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sea salt. Drain and peel the eggs, and cut each egg lengthwise into quarters. Drain the potatoes, and cut into 1/3-inch rounds.
• In a wide, shallow serving bowl, mix romaine, arugula and baby greens. Add 3 tablespoons of the dressing to the greens and toss, adding additional dressing as needed. Arrange the tomatoes, eggs, potatoes and green beans around the greens, and sprinkle with olives. Drizzle with some of the remaining dressing. Refrigerate leftover dressing and reserve for another use.