CSA Nicoise Salad

I wanted to try a recipe for Nicoise salad, but didn’t quite have the right ingredients.  So I poked around the web a little bit and discovered that these are the basic ingredients that make up a traditional Nicoise salad: Tuna, Tomatoes, Green Beans, Potatoes, Hard Boiled Eggs, Anchovies, Olives.  Greens and a Garlic Vinaigrette seem to be an optional addition.

I don’t like olives, so I eliminated them and yes, I eliminated the anchovies too.

I had no Tomatoes in the house.  Not quite yet time for them in the CSA, and I hate buying them if they are almost in season.  I want to eat what is coming from the CSA.  My other concern was getting the Chard into dinner last night and didn’t want it raw.  So I decided to braise the Chard in a tomato sauce I had on hand.

So here is the CSA Nicoise Salad I came up with...

Friday Menu – CSA Nicoise Salad

Farm Share Food – Chard, Green Beans, Potatoes

Printable Version

CSA Nicoise Salad

inspired by Tuna Salad Nicoise

Vinaigrette

2T lemon juice

2 T white wine vinegar

½ t sugar

Salt & Pepper

¼ t garlic powder

4 T extra virgin olive oil

Mix all ingredients except olive oil together.  Whisk in olive oil.  Set vinaigrette aside.

1 qt small potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tuna steaks

2 t Herbs de Provence

1 Hard Boiled egg

1 cup green beans, blanched

1 ½ cups braised chard (or other green)

Heat oven to 450 degrees.    Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper in a roasting pan.  Roast for 30 minutes or until tender.

Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet.  Pat dry tuna steak and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and Herbs de Provence.  When oil is hot sear tuna steak for 1 ½ minutes per side.  When done place on plate.

To plate add 1 Hard Boiled Egg (halved), a handful of green beans, and a serving of braised greens.  Serve with vinaigrette for dipping or dressing the salad.

NOTE: if you had small tomatoes – grape or cherry – you could add that to your potatoes after 15 minutes of roasting and roast with the potatoes for the last 10-15 minutes.  If you had a green that is yummy raw, like arugula, that could be your green.  Canned tuna would make this even quicker to put together.