Tuesday Tastings :: Niçoise Salad To-Go

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You guys may have heard me wax poetic about my love for niçoise salads… If I encounter one on a restaurant menu, my decision’s done. So when our team decided to ditch the office and head out for a picnic yesterday, I thought it would be fun to create a “to-go” version of this French favorite by layering all the classic niçoise ingredients in a glass terrine and giving each person their own individual salad. Didn’t they turn out pretty, with their layered rainbow of roasted peppers, tuna, white beans, blanched haricot vert, fresh basil and niçoise olives? They were delish, too, and the best part is that they can be loaded up into a picnic basket and don’t require an extra plate or bowl for serving! I’d love to know – what are your favorite on-the-go foods to pack for a picnic? Leave a comment to let us know, and keep reading for more picnic scenes and the recipe… 

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Niçoise Salads To-Go

*serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 red bell peppers, halved, seeded and cored
• 2 cans of tuna (whatever kind you prefer), drained
• 1 cup of haricot verts or green beans, blanched
• 1 can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup pitted niçoise olives, drained
• 16 fresh basil leaves
• extra-virgin olive oil
• coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Roast the peppers by placing them under the broiler, skin side up, for about 5 minutes until blackened. Remove from oven and place in a gallon-sized ziplock bag for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the peppers, use a paper towel to scrape the skin off, then cut into 1 – 2″ squares. Let cool.
2. In a mason jar or glass terrine (I used this 12 oz size from Container Store), layer each of the ingredients one at a time, starting with the bell peppers and ending with the niçoise olives. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top, then season with course sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place 4 fresh basil leaves on the top of each salad, then seal the top and pack up in your picnic basket!

*photos by Camille