My vacation is over and I am back to my routine but I still have some pictures along with adventures to share about my trip.
In our relentless effort to escape the heat, we had lunch a few kilometers outside of Marrakesh at a restaurant by the pool to get some “pool air” for lack of ocean air. For lack of any air really.
It may sound far-fetched but it did really cool us off. Maybe it was all in our minds. Maybe the sight of water alone was enough to milden the canicule.
To start, we had salade niçoise; a Moroccan version of it anyway made with mayonnaise vinaigrette and added carrots and corn.
Then we had a sizzling chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemons served with Berber flatbread and mint tea. My daughter swam and played on the swing and marveled at the caged peacocks on the way out.
A few days ago, I made salade niçoise for dinner. A substantial salad that I’d gladly make a meal of any day.
Complete with vegetables, protein and starch, it makes a wonderful dinner especially for the remaining days of summer ahead.
Salade Niçoise Recipe
2 servings
For the salad
- 2 medium red skin potatoes, peeled, halved, and sliced
- 2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
- 1 can tuna, drained
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives
- 1 tomato, cut into wedges
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved or quartered
For the vinaigrette
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 shallot, minced (optional)
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Place the sliced potatoes in a pot and cover with salted water. Cook over medium-high heat until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a colander and let drain and cool for a few minutes.
Bring a small pots of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and blanch them, 3 to 6 minutes, depending on their thickness. Shock them by putting them in ice water. Drain in a colander.
Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the vinegar with the mustard, minced shallot, salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil and continue whisking to emulsify.
Arrange the lettuce on a plate and drizzle it with about 1/4 of the vinaigrette. Top the lettuce with potatoes, green beans, tuna, olives, tomato wedges, and eggs. Drizzle the whole salad with a couple of spoonfuls of vinaigrette.
Serve it with extra vinaigrette on the side.
