Cook: Julia's Niçoise Salad
I went through a phase where I tried cooking a bunch of Julia Child’s recipes. I made one successful souffle and called it a day because of how stressful it was. Along the way, I did pick up her Niçoise salad which is one thing that I continue to make (and her method for cooking omelettes). I love watching her old cooking videos. She was unapologetically herself, and those are my favorite kind of people. Here’s the famous Niçoise salad recipe!
Prep Time: 1 hour, Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (you’ll have to make a side of potato salad)
Vinaigrette Ingredients: Whisk all these ingredients together, taste as you go along. You’ll want to make this first as it coats each layer of the salad.
1/2 tsp of chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves (minced) - this is not how Julia makes it but I think the garlic adds flavor!
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp lemon juice (half juice of a lemon)
1/2 French wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
3-4 tbsp of good quality olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients:
1 head of butter lettuce or any type of leafy greens. Try to stay away from iceberg lettuce or spinach (anything too watery or strong)
1 cup of fresh green beans (trimmed and blanched) - To be honest, I use the kind that come trimmed and in the bag, and steam them in the microwave. It’s faster!
A large handful of cherry tomatoes or the kind that come with all different colors (cut in half and salted)
A handful of Niçoise olives (or any type of olive you prefer)
1 can of oil-packed tuna (drained)
Flat anchovy fillets (packed in oil) - If you don’t like anchovies, you should really just try them with this recipe, they are PACKED with flavor.
Potato salad (see recipe below)
How ever many hard boiled eggs you’d like (cut in half)
Mixed herbs of your choice (chopped) - She recommends parsley but I like to use all different types of herbs.
Capers! Lots of them because they are delicious!
Potato Salad Ingredients
3-4 peeled, boiled and sliced potatoes
Season with the vinaigrette above and salt and pepper
Directions:
Julia says you should carefully place your ingredients on your platter because if they get tossed up “it ends up looking like dog food and it should look like a poem of an arrangement”. Reasons why I love her. So, with that in mind, here’s how you’ll assemble this beautiful salad.
Put your greens that have been washed, thoroughly dried and tossed with the vinaigrette on a large platter. Take the potato salad, also tossed with the vinaigrette and set them in the middle. Next, add the green beans (also tossed with vinaigrette) on the platter along with the tomatoes (you guessed it, tossed with vinaigrette) also on the tray. Add your tuna, hard boiled eggs, anchovy filets (one on top of each egg) and drizzle the dressing on top. Spread the olives and capers on top for the final touches and your freshly diced herbs. Voila!
Adapted from The Way to Eat by Julia Child, 1993
“People who love to eat are always the best people.” - Julia Child
