Salade Nicoise

 

 

A guest post by Edith Maxwell,

author of A Tine to Die

 

 

 

In A Tine to Live, a Tine to Die (Kensington Publishing, 2013), former software engineer Cam Flaherty grows organic vegetables on her farm in northeastern Massachusetts. She sells them to the local foods enthusiasts who belong to her farm-share program as well as to a tall intense chef. What she didn't plan on was encountering locally sourced murder, too.

 “With an insider's look at organic farming and a loyal, persistent heroine, Maxwell offers a series that cozy mystery fans will root for.” Lucy Burdette, author of the Key West Food Critic series.

 Summer is a perfect time to make this scaled-down version of Salade Nicoise. It skips the tuna and the potatoes but is a great light meal accompanied by a loaf of sourdough and a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio.

Tomato-Bean Salad with Eggs

 Ingredients

For salad:

2 lbs freshly picked slim green beans

6 eggs, hard boiled

Four medium size fresh tomatoes

2-3 T capers

1/2 c fresh parsley, minced

 

For dressing:

2 strips of fresh lemon peel, 1 by 2 1/2 inches each

1/4 t salt, plus more, if needed

1/2 T Dijon-type prepared mustard

1 to 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 c high-quality olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

 1.    Wash and trim the beans. Cut into two-inch pieces. Steam lightly until bright green and then chill in ice water. Drain and dry in a dish towel.

2.    Cut the tomatoes into quarters.

3.    Peel the eggs and carefully cut in half lengthwise.

4.    Lay the beans in a shallow serving dish. Intersperse the tomatoes and eggs, cut side up, in an artful way.

5.    Mince the lemon peel very finely with the salt, scrape it into the mortar or bowl, and mash into a fine paste with the pestle or spoon.

6.    Beat in the mustard and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; when thoroughly blended start beating in the oil by droplets to make a homogeneous sauce—easier when done with a small electric mixer.

7.    Beat in droplets more lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

8.    Pour the dressing over the salad.

9.    Sprinkle capers and parsley on top and add freshly ground pepper.

10. Serve at room temperature or chill if not serving soon.

 Locavore Edith Maxwell's A Tine to Live, a Tine to Die in the Local Foods Mystery series (Kensington Publishing, 2013) lets her relive her days as an organic farmer in Massachusetts, although murder in the greenhouse is new. A fourth-generation Californian, she has also published short stories of murderous revenge, most recently in the Fish Nets and Thin Ice anthologies.

Edith Maxwell's alter-ego Tace Baker authored Speaking of Murder, which features Quaker linguistics professor Lauren Rousseau and campus intrigue after her sexy star student is killed (Barking Rain Press, 2012). Edith is a long-time Quaker and holds a long-unused doctorate in linguistics.

A mother and former technical writer, Edith lives north of Boston in an antique house with her beau and three cats. You can find her at @edithmaxwell, on Facebook, and at www.edithmaxwell.com