Tomorrow, the sun will come out.

There are some recipes that I can only cook when the weather is absolutely right for them. Salad Nicoise is one of them. I cooked this a couple of weeks ago, when the mercury was hitting thirty, but only just got round to blogging it. The weather's not so great right now, but sometimes you need a reminder that one day, the sun will come out again.

I got a letter in the post today confirming me as the sole tenant of my flat. I was going to have a glass of champagne to celebrate, but I appear to have run out (I'm not sure how I let myself get to such a parlous state), so you're getting this recipe to celebrate instead. You lucky things.

Don't even try making only one portion of this, btw. There's too many different ingredients and you'll only end up with a fridge of quarter-of-a-cucumber, half-a-tin-of-anchovies, etc etc. I suggest cooking one tuna steak, eating most of the salad with that, and having the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Veggies could probably make a decent salad by leaving out the tuna and replacing the anchovies with capers.


Katy's Salad Nicoise

5 or so average-sized new potatoes
handful (80g or so) green beans
100g or so cherry tomatoes
1/2 a cucumber
tin anchovies
handful black olives, pitted (you could be poncily authentic and use nicoise, but I prefer kalamata)
handful basil leaves
handful parsley
1 little gem (or similar) lettuce
1/2 red onion

tuna steak (around 100-150g, depending on personal hunger levels)

1 clove garlic
pinch sea salt
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbs white wine vinegar
3 tbs olive oil

Put the potatoes on to boil; when they're nearly ready stick the green beans in. Don't undercook them.

Whilst those veg are cooking, halve your cherry tomatoes, halve, de-seed, and slice your cucumber, finely chop your anchovies, roughly chop your herbs, tear up your leaves, and finely slice your red onion. Mix together.

Make the dressing by crushing the garlic and salt, then whisking them together with the mustard, vinegar, and oil. Add a little oil from your anchovies/olives if you like.

Once the veg are cooked, drain and cool slightly under a running tap. Thickly slice the potatoes, then mix the warm veg with the dressing, and then combine with the salad veg.

Put a griddle pan or frying pan on to heat, and brush your tuna steak with a little oil. Grill or fry for a minute or so each side. It will cook much faster than you expect.

Serve the tuna with the salad. And probably a glass of champagne on the side.



PS. Please don't actually serve champagne with this. The salad will slaughter it. A firm rose would be perfect.