Best 5 Tomatoes NiÃoise Recipes

SALAD NICOISE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, parsley, olives, onion, tuna and green beans. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
• In large bowl, toss greens with vinaigrette and top with chilled potato mixture. Garnish with eggs, tomatoes, capers and anchovies.

SALADE NIçOISE

Steps:

• Potatoes: Fill a small saucepan with water. Add potatoes, thyme sprig, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Haricots vert: Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add a big pinch of salt, followed by haricots verts. Cook until tender with a slight snap, 4-9 minutes depending on size. Eggs: Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, use a spoon to gently ease eggs into the water. Cook exactly 7½ minutes. Meanwhile, prepare two ice baths: Fill two large bowls with water and plenty of ice.
• Scallions: Trim away the very end of the root while keeping scallion intact; remove the thick outer layer. Cut away the dark green top, leaving a 3-inch length of white and light-green scallion. Make several 1-inch vertical cuts down the top to create a scallion "brush." Repeat with all the scallions and place them in an ice bath to preserve freshness. Radishes: Slice each radish lengthwise into thin slices. Set aside.
• When beans are mostly tender with a touch of firmness, use a strainer to transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Remove eggs and place them into the same ice bath. Check potatoes for doneness by piercing one with a knife; there should be no resistance. Remove potatoes and set aside; discard thyme and bay leaf. Peel eggs, slice in half lengthwise, and set aside.
• Assembly: On a serving platter, layer the Boston lettuce, followed by the baby gem. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and distribute evenly, followed by haricots verts, scallions, whole tomatoes, radish, large chunks of tuna, and eggs. Garnish with leaves of basil and chervil.
• Pit olives (optional): Place olives on a flat surface. Press the bottom of a small bowl on the olives to loosen their pits; remove and discard the pits. Scatter the pitted olives over the salad. Next, tuck small bunches of arugula within the lettuce. Finally, finish assembling the salad by laying about 10 anchovies evenly across the top.
• Chef Boulud offers two options for dressing the salad. Lemon & Oil Dressing: Zest lemon evenly over the salad, then sprinkle with lemon juice. Drizzle with olive oil, and finish with pepper and salt. (Note: Use salt with moderation, since the tuna and anchovies are already salted.) Grand-Mère's Vinaigrette: In a bowl, add the sliced garlic and a pinch of salt. Use a fork to mash the garlic into a coarse paste. Add mustard, vinegar, and pepper; stir to combine. Add olive oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly with the fork to emulsify. Add a teaspoon of water at a time, whisking between additions, to thin vinaigrette as desired. Place vinaigrette into a serving dish and serve alongside the salad.

NIçOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Boil the potatoes for about 4 minutes.
• Remove with a slotted spoon, drain, then slice them in half. (Leave the water in the pot, though; you'll use it for blanching the green beans in a few moments.)
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, with a bit of olive oil until it's quite hot, then place the sliced potatoes in the pan, cut-side down.
• Sear for a minute or two until the potatoes are lightly browned, then remove them from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Toss with kosher salt and set aside.
• Bring the water back to a boil, and add the green beans. Blanch for 2 minutes.
• Remove with tongs to a bowl of ice water to shock them and keep them from cooking further. Drain and dry them with paper towels and set aside.
• Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and anchovies in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. (The anchovies are salty, so you might not need much additional salt.)
• Place the salad greens in a bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss to coat. Arrange the greens on 4 serving plates or 1 large platter. Distribute the potato halves equally, with the browned sides facing up.
• Toss the green beans, olives, and tomatoes with enough additional dressing to lightly coat them, and arrange them on the salad.
• Divide the tuna and place it in the center of plates. Arrange the hard-boiled egg quarters, then garnish with the fresh parsley and serve. Note: Instead of the vinaigrette, you could serve a Niçoise salad with garlic aioli .

NIçOISE SALAD WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the eggs and cook for 6 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel and cut each in half.
• Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and pour 1/2 cup hot water over them. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain well and return to the bowl. Stir in the lemon zest, elderflower cordial, oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and let stand.
• Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, season with salt, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook until a knife pierces through the potatoes easily, about 20 minutes. Drain well. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and generously season with salt. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the haricots verts to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the ice water bath. Once cool, drain well.
• Cut the tuna into 4 even strips. Heat a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add just enough oil to film the bottom. Season the tuna with salt and pepper on all sides, then add to the hot oil. Cook until seared on all sides, about 1 minute per side. The center should be rare. Cut each piece crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Combine the greens, potatoes, beans, olives, tomatoes, and almost all of the dressing in a large bowl. Gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the tuna and eggs. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

SCALLOPS NICOISE WITH TOMATO-OLIVE SAUCE

Steps:

• If bay scallops are not available, use sea scallops but cut them in half or quarter them, depending on size.
• Core and peel the tomatoes, and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. There should be about 3 1/2 cups. Set aside.
• Chop the green olives. There should be about 3 tablespoons. Set aside.
• Chop the black olives. There should be about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and add the garlic. Cook briefly, stirring. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the chopped green and black olives, capers, salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat about 2 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in each of 2 skillets. When the butter is hot and almost brown, add half the scallops to each skillet. Add salt and pepper. Cook, shaking the skillets and stirring so that the scallops cook quickly and evenly.
• Cook about 2 minutes or slightly longer. Take care not to overcook. Sprinkle with parsley and lemon juice. Toss.
• Spoon the hot tomato-olive sauce into a hot, fairly deep platter. Pour the scallops over and serve.