Salade Nicoise

Guest contributor and fellow francophile, Nadaly K., was inspired after a visit to http://www.epicurious.com to develop her very own Salade Nicoise:

Use any of the below ingredients as you please.

Ingredients for dressing:

- olive oil
- vinegar (cider or red wine)
- fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- salt/pepper to taste
- fresh chervil, finely chopped
- flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- dijon mustard
- 1 small white or yellow onion, very thinly sliced

Ingredients for salad:

- fresh green and/or yellow beans
- boiled eggs
- canned tuna, in olive oil or water
- canned anchovies, fillets
- red and/or yellow tomatoes, wedged
- butter lettuce
- small new potatoes
- colorful sweet peppers, sliced
- nicoise olives
- artichoke hearts

For the dressing:

Use about a 3:1 ratio of olive oil to vinegar. (I used 1 cup of olive oil.) Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

For the salad:

Boil the eggs and refrigerate. Drain the tuna, place in a bowl and refrigerate. Scrub the potatoes and boil them for 15 minutes. (be sure not to overboil.) Cut the potatoes into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Refrigerate the potatoes.

Steam the green/yellow beans for about 6 minutes or less (until they are cooked but still firm).drain and refrigerate the beans.

In a large salad bowl, toss the butter lettuce, peppers, green beans, tomatoes, tuna, potatoes, olives and artichoke hearts together with the dressing. Serve the eggs and anchovies on the side. This way, the eggs don't get smashed and not everyone likes anchovies!

Serve with a fresh baguette... bon appetit!!