Vegetarian Niçoise Salad

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For purists, this might be an abomination. Can a Niçoise salad without tuna still be called Niçoise salad? I argue yes. Yes it can. And further, I’ll say that it’s quite tasty. It’s got authentic Niçoise olives, green beans, potatoes and a Dijon mustard and tarragon dressing, so really, why not?

The recipe I adapted was originally inspired by Alice Waters. Which is not a bad place to start. I made it for a little pre-movie picnic yesterday, and ate it with a friend while we waited for the screening of “An Affair to Remember” to begin in Grant Park. We also had some hummus and crackers, Wee Brie wedges, orange fig preserves and some pink champagne. It was delightful.

It was also the first time I’ve more or less followed my own menu for this event.

Here’s the recipe, adapted from Susan Herrmann Loomis:

For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 while onion, sliced very thin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup tarragon leaves, torn gently
• salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together vinegar and mustard, and stream in olive oil. Stir in onion, garlic, tarragon, salt and pepper.

For the salad:

• 10 small Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed (use a mix of green and yellow if you have it)
• 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup Niçoise olives
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Steam green beans until they are cooked but still firm, about 7 minutes. Run both under cold water (or an ice bath) to chill. Combine with the peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and olives. You can arrange them in sections for the traditional look. I like to toss it with the dressing right before serving and top with the cheese.

Enjoy!

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Filed under Salads

Tags: green beans, Niçoise salad, potatoes, tarragon, vegetarian