Pasta Salad, Niçoise Style, sunflowers – or not Recipe
Pasta Salad, Niçoise Style Total time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 6oz (180gr) green beans, trimmed, cut in half 1/2 cup (3oz, 90gr) cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced 9oz (270gr) canned tuna, drained, broken into chunks 2 eggs, hard cooked, quartered 1/2 cup black or green olives, (or both) pitted and halved 2 tbs fresh chives, chopped 1 1/4 cups (4.2oz, 125gr) pasta – bite-size, penne, fusilli 4 anchovy fillets optional Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup salad olive oil 2 tbs tarragon white wine vinegar 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard 1 tbs lemon juice 1 tbs fresh tarragon, chopped 2 tbs chives, chopped Instructions: Cook pasta according to package directions. Fill a medium saucepan 2/3 full of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add beans and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Vinaigrette: Whisk vinegar, mustard and lemon juice. Slowly add oil, whisking until it emulsifies. Add tarragon, chives, stir and put into a large salad bowl. Add beans to vinaigrette. Add tomatoes,pepper strips, chives, olives and tuna to vinaigrette. Stir gently. When pasta is cooked, drain and add to mix in salad bowl. Toss lightly to combine. Quarter eggs and arrange on top. Garnish with anchovies, if desired, and serve.