Nicoise Salad

It's been too long since I've posted. Somehow summer involves less cooking than normal. Especially in the heat wave we've been having here. However, what that does mean is a lot more salads and cold soups and simple foods. A favorite one of these is this simple salad. It does involve a very small amount of cooking - but not enough to either make the meal a hot meal or heat up the kitchen. So perfect for when you are sick of everything raw but still don't want to be near anything hot. And it's SO flexible.

Ingredients:

Thin slices of tuna (preferably sushi grade so you can leave the core raw) - One per person
One hard boiled egg per person
Lettuce
Grape tomatoes
Oil cured olives - both green and black
Green beans, stemmed
New potatoes, the tinier the better (if larger than an inch in diameter, cut them in half)
Fresh fava beans or edmame beans - shelled and cooked
Red onion, thinly sliced
Radishes, thinly sliced
Handful of fresh basil
Nice olive oil for cooking tuna and drizzling
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Steam the Green Beans until just barely cooked and still a little crunchy - about 5 minutes. Since the size of green beans is so variable, I always just test and watch them rather than set a timer. Run under cold water to cool and stop the cooking.

Boil the potatoes until they can be pierced by a fork. Run under cold water to cool.

Heat olive oil in a thick pan on high heat (if you've got an iron skillet, use it!). Sprinkle Salt and Pepper onto both sides of the Tuna Sear the Tuna for one minute on both sides (2 minutes if not using sushi grade tuna).

Spread Lettuce on the plate. Place remaining salad ingredients around the plate, each in their own part. Place Tuna in center. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Variations:
Play around with the ingredients as you'd like. The core is the tuna, olives, green beans, and Potatoes. Really, after that, it's all game. Add artichoke hearts or garlic cloves. use no lettuce. substitute red pepper for radishes. Just have fun with the combination of fresh, crunchy, raw, cooked, sweet, bitter, salty.

Pesto Halibut in Vegetable Stew

My dad and I modified this recipe from Cuisine at Home for christmas eve dinner. I think I'd make a couple more changes, reflected in the recipe below. if you try it, you'll have to tell me how they work. It was so delicious that even my one year old niece was eating the vegetables out of the broth! It takes a little prep-time for the fish - it has to sit for four hours with the pesto on top. Serve with bread to sop up the good juices.

serves 4

Ingredients:

for the fish:
1 lb halibut fillet
3 tbsp pesto (I really like the jar of pesto from trader joes)
1/4 cup dried fine bread crumbs (panko is best)
1/4 cup grated parmasan
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water

for the stew:
1 cup barley, cooked until just tender.
1 cup chopped asparagus, lightly steamed
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots (or leeks)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 yellow squash, thinly sliced
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, thinly sliced (I recommend roasted but not marinated)
1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
half lemon thinly sliced.
6 cups water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes

Directions:

Cut the fish into four pieces. Place skin side down in a glass roasting pan. Mix together the pesto, bread crumbs, and parmesan. Spread on top of fish. Let sit for four hours in refrigerator.

Once fish has sat, preheat the oven to 400.

While oven heats up prepare the stew. Heat oil in large pan on medium high heat. Saute shallots and garlic until shallots go clear. Add zucchini and yellow squash and saute for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and peppers, saute for 2 more minutes. Add water, bouillon, and barley. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add lemon and olives and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Once oven is up to temperature, add wine and water to the pan with the fish. Bake for 5-8 minutes, until fish easily flakes.

To serve, ladle vegetable stew into bowls and place fish in center.