April 2018

Happy April, everyone.

We’re a quarter of the way through the year already, and so much has happened. As you read this, I shall be packing for another trip to the Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi, where as well as hopefully meeting with some amazing people, I hope to add a few dishes to my recipe collection. I shall definitely be sharing them with you over the coming months, but if you can’t wait for that, do check out this month’s recommended book.

In the meantime, I hope you have a fantastic April and that Spring proves to fill you will lots of energy to “Go Everywhere, Eat Everything.”

Cheers,

Simon

PS - As always, if you try any of my recipes -- whether this newsletter's First Look recipe, those recipes on my website, or those on my "Simon Says" cooking series on Pureflix.com (where you can sign up and join for free for a month) -- please don’t forget to let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also, if you have the time, please check out my latest feature on Time Out LA on Filipino food, my Time Out LA restaurant reviews, as well as my latest article about spices on Saute Magazine.

SIMON'S FOOD SCHOOL:

Stuff You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Food

Nicoise Salad

There are few dishes that bring back as many happy memories as a traditional Nicoise Salad. It reminds me of the quick lunches my mother used to make on our family camping holidays in France in the 1970s, where she would take vegetables from the local market and serve them with crusty French loaves. And, it was one of the first salads I ever learned to make myself when I was a student in London, mainly because all of the ingredients could be found easily at my local supermarket.

The term “Nicoise” literally means “in the style of Nice” -- that beautiful coastal French City, which has always been bathed in sunshine on every occasion I have visited. There is nothing better than to eat this salad, whose ingredients reflect that gorgeous weather, while sipping on a glass or two of Rose wine at one of the many restaurants across from the beach.

There are many different versions. Some people say that you should never have cooked vegetables in your Nicoise Salad. I say “why not?” and like to add soft boiled potatoes and some blanched green beans. Some people say that it should not include tuna or should only be made with seared fresh tuna rather than canned. However, I think they are forgetting that the quality of seafood in jars and cans in Europe is of so far superior a quality to what we can generally find in the US, that they can barely be equated.

One thing that everybody seems to agree on is that the dressing should include garlic, olive oil and a selection of herbs, although of course there are lots of arguments about which herbs should be used. I like to keep it simple and just dress the salad with a simple vinaigrette and chopped parsley after I have everything on the plate.

Finally, there seem to be arguments about whether a classic Nicoise Salad should have all the ingredients tossed together or to be composed, with each ingredient laid out separately. I prefer the latter, as I know that many of my guests will have some ingredients they prefer more than others and this gives them a chance to choose.

The truth is, whichever way you choose to make a Nicoise Salad, someone will tell you that you are doing it wrong. So, my advice is to stick to the basics and use the best ingredients you can find, open a nice chilled bottle of wine and to heck with everybody else.

Enjoy.

THE BOOK ZONE

YOUR "FIRST LOOK" RECIPE:

Nicoise Salad

(Serves 4)

​

INGREDIENTS

• 10 oz Wild Albacore Tuna
• 1 Small Head of Butter Lettuce
• 1 lb Green Beans (Boiled in salted water for 4 minutes, then cooled in ice water)
• 1 lb Cherry Tomatoes (Sliced in half lengthways)
• 1 lb Small Red Potatoes (Boiled, cooled and sliced)
• ½ Cup Pitted Black Olives (Sliced in half lengthways)
• 4 Eggs (Boiled to Medium and cooled in ice water. Peeled and cut in half lengthways)
• 1 English Cucumber (Peeled, de-seeded and cut into chunks)
• 6 Radishes (Sliced thinly)
• ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Champagne or White Wine Vinegar
• ¼ Teaspoon Anchovy Paste (Optional)
• 1 Clove Garlic (Crushed)
• Salt
• Pepper
• ½ Cup Italian Parsley (Chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS​

1. A Nicoise Salad can be served composed (all the ingredients laid out individually as in the picture) or pre-tossed. I prefer to do the former so people can help themselves to as much of each ingredient as they prefer.
2. Place the olive oil, champagne vinegar, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a small sealed jar and shake to emulsify into a vinaigrette. Taste to see if you need to add more oil or vinegar.
3. Take a large white serving platter and cover it with a layer of butter lettuce.
4. Flake the albacore tuna into large pieces and place in the center of the platter.
5. Lay the other ingredients around the tuna (see picture).
6. Place eggs yolk side upwards around the tuna.
7. Sprinkle the dish with the chopped parsley.
8. Drizzle all of the ingredients, including the tuna with the vinaigrette.
9. Sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper over the dish, and serve.

And, Last But Not Least... Please Check Out: