Salade Niçoise

Believe it or not, there are five different types of salads. These include:

1. Appetizer salads

2. Accompaniment salads or “side-salads”

3. Main course salads (should contain a substantial portion of protein)

4. Separate-course salads (served between courses to cleanse the palate; a good choice for this type of salad is fruit)

5. Dessert salads

A Salade Niçoise is extremely versatile. It can be served as an appetizer, side salad or main course salad, and can include a wide variety of lettuces and salad greens, such as: iceburg, romaine, bib, , spinach, arugula, mesclun (a mixture of baby lettuces), and escarole (in Italian cooking, escarole is frequently braised with olive oil and garlic and served as a vegetable dish).

Use a base of mixed salad greens and place ingredients like potatoes, green beans, green olives, a hard-boiled egg, tomato, tuna, and parsley on the salad greens. Drizzle over the top a dressing made from olive oil, wine vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper, and it is ready to eat.

The beauty of this salad is its versatility. If you don’t have green beans, you can use asparagus or Brussels sprouts. If you don’t want to use tuna, you can use salmon, chicken, or pork. If you don’t have red potatoes, you can use waxy potatoes or new potatoes. Better still, choose the ingredients growing in your garden. Don’t have a garden? Don’t worry; look for upcoming gardening articles as we head into spring!