Grilled Tuna Salad Nicoise

A composed salad served over mixed lettuce with a Dijon Vinaigrette

As a Singleton, I used to eat little pieces of this, bits of that for dinner. Standing at the fridge, I’d grab a jar of olives, tub of hummus to go with pitas in the pantry, maybe a hunk of cheese. Voila! Dinner! Perhaps that is why I have an affinity for composed salads? A little of this, a little of that. Enter Salad Nicoise – the Queen of all composed salads.

I’m sure that traditionally, Salad Nicoise is composed of a particular set of ingredients – and most often I’ve seen canned Tuna, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, hard boiled eggs and Nicoise olives – but I think the genious in these types of salads is that you can use whatever you have on-hand that is fresh and good (ok, regardless, I’m pretty much sticking with the aforementioned list because it is just so good as is).

A really sweet trick

Tomatoes aren’t quite ripe here in the Midwest, so I’m using a pint of grape tomatoes. Halving an entire pint of grape tomatoes is a ROYAL PITA. But I recently learned a cool trick from non other than Rachel Ray when I was home sick a few weeks ago – so I can no longer say she’s taught me nothing (I kid! Personalityquirks aside, she’s actually done some rather admirable things).

Anyway, here’s the trick to slicing an entire pint of grape tomatoes in 1 minute flat:

1. Grab a small tupperware lid (takeout containers from the deli would work well) and place it with rim side up.

2. Place your tomatoes on the lid – the rim will keep them contained.

3. Put another tupperware lid on top of the tomatoes.

4. Press down pretty firmly with one hand and with your other hand, take your SHARP knive and CAREFULLY slice horizontally through the middle of the tomatoes. You may have to saw back and forth a little to get it going, but once it goes, your knife will slide through all the tomatoes at once.

How flipping cool is that??!! Ok, I thought it was. I used to slice them individually like an idiot and bemoan how long it took.

First contain your tomatoes so they don't roll around.

Then put a lid on them before slicing horizontally through the middle.

Ok, back on track

So back to the salad. You could used canned tuna for this recipe. I was a little overwhelmed in the canned tuna section at the store – so many options! – and I knew I should really get some imported brand packed in oil. But alas, my store didn’t carry that and there was no way I was going anywhere else. So I thought I’d grab a cheap tuna steak and throw it on the grill. You could get a really nice piece and sear it on each side, or be cheap like me and get a not-so-nice piece and cook it all the way through. Your choice!

Serves 2-4 (depending on if you serve anything else with it)
Salad Ingredients:
2 lb potatoes
1/2 lb green beans
1 pint grape tomatoes – halved
6 hard boiled eggs – sliced
6 oz tuna steak
olives – I only used enough for me cause my husband hates them. Use your own discretion.
salt and pepper to taste
serve over – 5oz mixed greens

Salad Dressing Ingredients:
1/3 cup minced chives or green onions (less elegant, but it’s what I had on hand)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 t kosher salt
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t honey
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 T chopped fresh basil (kind of optional, but I threw it in)
1 t chopped fresh thyme (again, optional)

Steps:
Get your grill ready
1. Make vinaigrette – in a bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, honey, and mustard till well combined. Add oil in a small stream while continuing to whisk until emulsified. Add basil, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Boil potatoes till desired doneness – approximately 15 minutes. Drain and when cool enough to touch, quarter and toss with 2 T of vinaigrette. Set aside.
3. Steam green beans till desired doneness – maybe 5 minutes. Transfer to ice bath to stop cooking process. Drain, dry, toss with 1 T of vinaigrette and set aside.
4. Salt and pepper tuna steak and grill over high heat till desired doneness. Depends on how rare you want your tuna and how thick it is – maybe 4 min ea side for medium. Let rest 5 minutes. Slice.
5. Compose your salad – toss lettuce with 2 T of vinaigrette and arrange on dinner plates. Place tuna, eggs, green beans, tomatoes, and olives on a serving platter. Add bits and pieces to your dinner plate as desired. Toss with more vinaigrette on your plate if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Ms. Pantry Raid

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Provencal Tomato Spread

Transports you right to the south of France - although I've bastardized the effect by serving it with Feta and Mascarpone

 

AKA – Food only chicks like

My husband has an aversion to olives. Most men seem to share this trait and I simply do not comprehend it. I do try to help cure him of this ailment, but to no avail. Unbeknownst to me, he also has an aversion to capers. And sundried tomatoes. And basil. After 10 years together, I JUST found this out. And sadly, these are a few of my favorite things.

As I was reading The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry, I came across a delicious sounding dish that had all of the above in it. A Provencal Tomato Spread. Paired with bread slathered with mascarpone and feta cheese shot under the broiler and a nice salad, what could be better? This is my kind of eating. Too bad my husband doesn’t agree. 

What else could you do with this?

Toss with pasta. Serve over chicken. Wish fish. It’s highly versatile. I’m quite certain it will end up with pasta by week’s end – that is, if I don’t tire of loading it on top of fresh bread first.

From Kathleen Finn. Read her book for more great recipes (and a lot of fun too).

Ingrediants

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 red medium bell pepper, peeled, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped (1 ½ cups) 
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (1 cup) 
6 to 8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (¾ cup)
12 Nicoise olives, chopped
3/4 tablespoon capers
2 cups chopped fresh basil

Steps

• In a small sauté pan, warm the oil over medium heat.
• Add bell pepper, onions, and garlic and cook until soft.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers and cook gently.
• Remove from heat. 
• When cool, add the basil.
• Add coarse salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy! 

Ms. Pantry Raid

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Winter Caprese Salad

  
 

Winter Caprese Salad - how to use those nasty, mealy hothouse tomatoes.

Well, I know we on the cusp of spring, but we are months from decent tomatoes and I’m craving them. This  Winter Caprese salad makes use of oven roasted tomatoes, which are so sweet and flavorful, I’m just sure you will fall in love with them. They are much different than their chewy sun-dried counterparts. If you haven’t already, give them a whirl. 

Of course, fresh basil is, strictly speaking, not to be had in winter either. You can make yourself feel better by turning the basil into a pesto, but since I just love the taste of fresh basil at any time of year, I’ve left it as is. Served over a little fresh mozzerella, a spritz of good vinegar and olive oil, smidge of sea salt and voila! It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy!

Adapted from Gourmet mag
Ingredients

Makes 4 servings.

1 pound plum tomatoes, quarted lengthwise.
2T olive oil (plus more for drizzling over salad)
1/2 pound fresh mozzerella sliced  1/4 inch thick.
a handful of fresh basil
Balsamic vinegar (for drizzling over salad)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Steps

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with a rack in the middle.
• Toss tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place tomatoes on baking sheet (with sides to catch the juices) cut side up and roast in oven for 45 minutes or until the skins are wrinkly and the bottoms start to brown.
• Remove from oven and cool completely.
• Slice basil thinly.
• Assemble cheese and roasted tomatoes on a plate, sprinkle with basil.
• Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

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