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ust me — it is excellent!</p><p id="ee55">But most of the time? Julia and I are in complete agreement about how delicious this salad is — and it is beautiful too. It is perfect for lunch for friends or a light meal in the evening. Eat it all as it doesn’t keep well into the next day unless you’re into soggy salad.</p><figure id="860a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*D3GUoqkt1QuLiIdhz1Dq1Q.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by Cook’s Illustrated. Now imagine it without tomatoes and with waaaay more anchovies and black olives. I’m making it this week so I’ll add my own pic soon!</figcaption></figure><h1 id="7b05">Salade Nicoise</h1><p id="d619">Adapted from <i>The French Chef Cookbook</i> by Julia Child</p><p id="35bb"><b>Serves 4–8 people</b></p><p id="9f66">3 cups previously cooked green beans in a bowl (Make sure your cooked vegetables are fork-tender but not mushy)</p><p id="2c77">3/4 cup — 1 cup vinaigrette</p><p id="6f67">1 head lettuce — Boston or romaine — chopped in medium-sized pieces.</p><p id="c84a">3 cups previously boiled potatoes (I use the baby ones) — sliced in small chunks</p><p id="161c">1/2 cup pitted black olives (I’ve used Kalamata and even green ones too)</p><p id="af49">6 hard-boiled eggs, cold, peeled and quartered</p><p id="a26d">1 can <i>white</i> canned tuna, drained</p><p id="cad6">12 canned anchovy fillets, drained flat ones. (I use 2 cans because we’re anchovy fans.)</p><p id="d7f7">1 small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped. * <i>optional</i></p><p id="9f2a">A large salad bowl or shallow dish — a platter is what I use.</p><h2 id="b600">Sauce Vinaigrette</h2><p id="be62"><i>Makes approx. 1 cup of dressing</i></p><p id="c410">4 tablespoons white wine vinegar/champagne vinegar or a combo of vinegar and lemon juice</p><p id="dc7a">1/4 teaspoon salt</p><p id="150f">1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (I use 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard)</p><p id="3d65">12 tablespoons of best quality olive oil</p><p id="cefd">1 tsp of drained anchovy oil (if you’re an anchovy fan)* optional</p><p id="0297">Big pinch of fresh ground pepper</p><p id="f5bc">Add all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended. <i>Taste to see if it needs more or less of something.</i></p><h2 id="6936">To Make The Salad:</h2><p id="7c7e">Just before serving, season green beans with a few tablespoons of dressing. Toss well.</p><p id="cf7f">Toss the lettuce leaves in the salad bowl or platter with 1/4 cup vinaigrette (I toss them 20x. It works.)</p><p id="1841">Arrange potatoes on top of lettuce in the bottom of the platter. Decorate with the beans by lining them up across the potatoes and lettuce.</p><p id="2ce5">Break the tuna into smaller chunks and spread across the salad. Add eggs and olives and then add drained anchovies — I lay them across the salad in a line. (And as you now know — I use 2 small cans of them vs 1.)</p><p id="087b">Pour 1/2 of the remaining dressing over salad and taste to see if it needs more or not.</p><p id="a5b9">Sprinkle with chopped, fresh parsley and serve. YUM!</p><p id="ac09">Thanks for reading! I have loads of food essays (delicious recipes too) and thoughtful and quirky simpler living essays waiting for you. (Well over 100 of them!) And <a href="https://psiloveyou.xyz/true-love-doesnt-need-flowers-chocolate-or-a-valentine-s-card-b9a291ef4c26?source=friends_link&sk=078a26f01044be800f0f356e2bf97147">this story </a>caught the attention of NBC News In New York!</p><div id="998d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/soul-saving-salad-dressing-26e6ec4a83ba"> <div> <div> <h2>Soul-Saving Salad Dressing</h2> <div><h3>A simple homemade salad dressing so you stop buying the sad bottled stuff.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: ur

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The Salad Julia Child Taught Me

Salad Nicoise has everything you’re craving right now.

When I was in my 20s, in a thrift store I found an old cookbook called, The French Chef Cookbook by Julia Child. It was published in 1968, had a retro red hardcover, the recipes looked good, the black and white photos were hilarious and it cost a $1.00. But the clincher of the deal? I found the recipe for Salade Nicoise — the famous French salad I’d fallen in love with at a cafe in Paris.

Yes — some people fall in love with people in Paris — for me — it was a salad.

Little did I know then, but buying that little red book brought me into a time machine with one of the best cooks on Earth.

I knew a little bit about Julia Child, mainly from the Saturday Night Live parody skit where Dan Akroyd plays Julia Child on her television show.

And the pictures within her book showed she was a character:

I especially love the massive spoon!

But other than that — I didn’t know much about the world-famous classically trained chef.

But I knew I was willing to try her recipe for the French composed salad — Salade Nicoise.

By the way, how do you pronounce it? Salad KNEE- SWA-Z. Trust me — it’s much easier to make it than it is to say it.

The biggest lesson Julia taught me was that the components of this salad that are near the bottom of the platter — should be seasoned with the homemade vinaigrette salad dressing separately vs pouring dressing over the works at the end.

Salade Nicoise isn’t a tossed salad, but a composed salad. Which is a fancy way of saying you arrange the ingredients on a platter. So how you add the dressing is a big deal, baby. Otherwise, you end up with too much dressing in some areas and not enough on others.

Don’t roll your eyes. It barely takes any time and it is really worth it. Julia says so and so do I.

The Overlooked Delight of Basil

This little powerhouse herb is so much more than pesto. And I plant it in a very strange place.

medium.com

I’m an 80% purist when it comes to Julia Child’s recipe but I have given it my own spin too. She puts tomatoes in her salad — I don’t. If I don’t have black olives, I use whatever kind of olives I have on hand (she’d probably fire me for that.) If I can’t find fresh green beans, I use asparagus instead. I usually add fresh chopped parsley to the lettuce. And I use two tins of anchovies vs one because my husband and I always fight over them. I also use a tablespoon of the anchovy oil in the dressing too. Trust me — it is excellent!

But most of the time? Julia and I are in complete agreement about how delicious this salad is — and it is beautiful too. It is perfect for lunch for friends or a light meal in the evening. Eat it all as it doesn’t keep well into the next day unless you’re into soggy salad.

Photo by Cook’s Illustrated. Now imagine it without tomatoes and with waaaay more anchovies and black olives. I’m making it this week so I’ll add my own pic soon!

Salade Nicoise

Adapted from The French Chef Cookbook by Julia Child

Serves 4–8 people

3 cups previously cooked green beans in a bowl (Make sure your cooked vegetables are fork-tender but not mushy)

3/4 cup — 1 cup vinaigrette

1 head lettuce — Boston or romaine — chopped in medium-sized pieces.

3 cups previously boiled potatoes (I use the baby ones) — sliced in small chunks

1/2 cup pitted black olives (I’ve used Kalamata and even green ones too)

6 hard-boiled eggs, cold, peeled and quartered

1 can white canned tuna, drained

12 canned anchovy fillets, drained flat ones. (I use 2 cans because we’re anchovy fans.)

1 small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped. * optional

A large salad bowl or shallow dish — a platter is what I use.

Sauce Vinaigrette

Makes approx. 1 cup of dressing

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar/champagne vinegar or a combo of vinegar and lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (I use 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard)

12 tablespoons of best quality olive oil

1 tsp of drained anchovy oil (if you’re an anchovy fan)* optional

Big pinch of fresh ground pepper

Add all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended. Taste to see if it needs more or less of something.

To Make The Salad:

Just before serving, season green beans with a few tablespoons of dressing. Toss well.

Toss the lettuce leaves in the salad bowl or platter with 1/4 cup vinaigrette (I toss them 20x. It works.)

Arrange potatoes on top of lettuce in the bottom of the platter. Decorate with the beans by lining them up across the potatoes and lettuce.

Break the tuna into smaller chunks and spread across the salad. Add eggs and olives and then add drained anchovies — I lay them across the salad in a line. (And as you now know — I use 2 small cans of them vs 1.)

Pour 1/2 of the remaining dressing over salad and taste to see if it needs more or not.

Sprinkle with chopped, fresh parsley and serve. YUM!

Thanks for reading! I have loads of food essays (delicious recipes too) and thoughtful and quirky simpler living essays waiting for you. (Well over 100 of them!) And this story caught the attention of NBC News In New York!