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Thursday, July 26, 2012

T=1 year minus some change


Halloooo there.

Utah is hot, and unusually rainy recently.
Jared is mending from his bike accident. All but one wound have healed completely. Shoulder is still sore, but he's able to go to work part time.
Alex's work is still busy--missionaries are still going everywhere. Tri-training is time consuming, but she gets by with the help of her friends.

FOOD NOTE:
Jared bakes bread. I make salade. Et puis, nous mangeons!



Salade Niçoise 
This is a traditional French salad from the city of Nice in the Provence region of France. Based on fresh market produce, the true salad should be composed of only raw vegetables. However, regional variations have included the addition of  artichokes,  tuna, potatoes, boiled eggs and crispy lettuce. The salad below has been adapted to be more of a dinner salad, rather than a side, but it is delicious on a hot summer day nonetheless. 

Serves 4
For the salad:
1 head of lettuce, chopped, rinsed and dried (Boston or Red)
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
5-7 small potatoes (red or Yukon gold)diced
6 hard-boiled eggs, cut in half length-wise
1/2 pound haricots vert (French green beans)
10 anchovy fillets
2 cans of good tuna packed in olive oil, drained
1/3 cup Nicoise olives, chopped


Dressing:
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon finely minced shallot or leek
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs, such as tarragon, basil, chives, parsley (optional)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 


Steam the potatoes for approximately 10 minutes, or until tender when poked with a fork. Stir a little of the dressing into the potatoes (they will absorb the flavor better when warm), then refrigerate. Steam the haricots for about 7-9 minutes or until tender, then plunge under ice water to stop them cooking. This technique is called blanching and keeps the color nice and bright. Place them in the refrigerator with the potatoes while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients.

To plate the salade do as the French: be delicate, be precise, be gourmet. Artfully arrange the quartered tomatoes, halved eggs, diced potatoes, sliced olives, flecks of tuna, cuts of haricot, and anchovies on the bed of lettuce. Drizzle over with dressing and salt and pepper to taste. The beauty of this salad is that you can really pick and choose what toppings to put on each plate--if someone doesn't like a particular ingredient for example.

This is a filling and nutrient packed dinner to add to any culinary repetoire. Enjoy soaking up the juices with some delicious artisan French bread.

**note to reader. We did not include the anchovies.**

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