Salade Niçoise

Salad

• eggs4
• green beans300 g
• tuna in olive oil320 g
• small ripe tomatoes400 g
• little gem lettuce2
• red onion1
• cucumber½
• black olives100 g
• anchovy fillets8
• basil (optional)1 handful

Vinaigrette

• red wine vinegar2 tbsp
• Dijon mustard1 tsp
• garlic1 cloves
• extra virgin olive oil6 tbsp
• salt
• black pepper

Vinaigrette

1. 01

   Crush the garlic to a paste. Whisk the vinegar, mustard and garlic paste together with a good pinch of salt until the salt has dissolved.

2. 02

   Pour in the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking, until the dressing thickens slightly and stops separating the moment you stop. Grind in plenty of pepper and taste it on a lettuce leaf. It should be sharp enough to make you blink, because the rest of the salad blunts it considerably.

Salad

3. 03

   Lower the eggs into boiling water and cook for 8 minutes, then lift them straight into a bowl of cold water. Peel them once they are properly cold and halve them lengthways.

4. 04

   Boil the green beans in well-salted water for 4 minutes, until tender but still squeaking against the teeth. Drain and tip them into iced water at once, which stops them cooking and holds the colour, then drain again and pat dry.

5. 05

   Toss the beans in a tablespoon of the vinaigrette while they are still faintly warm. They take up dressing far better now than they will cold.

6. 06

   Quarter the tomatoes. Salt the tomato quarters lightly and leave them on a plate for 10 minutes. Thinly slice the red onion, rinse it under cold water and pat it dry, which takes the harsh edge off it.

7. 07

   Line a wide platter with the lettuce leaves and dress them lightly. Slice the cucumber, and drain the tuna and flake it into large pieces. Lay the beans, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and flaked tuna over the top in separate groups rather than mixing them together.

8. 08

   Tuck in the halved eggs, scatter over the stoned olives and drape the anchovy fillets across. Spoon the rest of the vinaigrette over the whole platter, season the eggs and tomatoes with a little more salt and pepper, and tear over the basil.

9. 09

   Serve within the hour, at room temperature rather than cold from the fridge.