Excerpted from Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins’ The Silver Palate Cookbook.

A salad that never fails to bring the Mediterranean to the table. It’s crunchy and fresh-tasting, making a terrific meal in itself. It’s also great prepared in advance and layered into a hollowed-out baguette to make a pan bagnat, the traditional beach sandwich of Nice. The longer the salad rests on the bread, the more the two become one.

Salade Nicoise

For the Vinaigrette

Makes 1 cup.

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Minced fresh parsley and/or snipped fresh chives, to taste
• ½ cup olive oil

1. Measure the mustard into a bowl. Whisk in the vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and herbs.
2. Continue to whisk the mixture while slowly dribbling in the olive oil until the mixture thickens. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Cover until ready to use. (Vinaigrette is best if made just before it is to be used.) If necessary, whisk again before serving.

For the Salad

Makes 6 to 8 portions.

• 8 new potatoes (about 1 pound), well scrubbed
• 2 pounds green beans, cooked
• 10 very ripe Italian plum tomatoes, washed and quartered
• 1 small purple onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• ½ cup niçoise olives
• ¼ cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 hard-cooked eggs, shelled and quartered lengthwise
• 12 ounces canned oil-packed white tuna, well drained
• 2 ounces anchovy fillets (optional)

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, quarter the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl.
2. Add the green beans, tomatoes, onion, olives, parsley, a pinch of salt, and the pepper. Pour ½ cup of the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss gently but well.
3. Transfer the mixture to a large serving platter. Arrange the salad informally, or as follows: Place the hard-cooked egg quarters around the edge of the platter. Flake the tuna over the salad and arrange the anchovy fillets, if you use them, over the tuna. Drizzle another quarter cup of the vinaigrette and serve at room temperature.

About the Book:

Enriched with full-color photographs in honor of its twenty-fifth anniversary, The Silver Palate Cookbook is the beloved classic that brings a new passion for food and entertaining into American homes. Its 350 flawlessly seasoned, stand-out dishes make every occasion special, and its recipes, featuring vibrant, pure ingredients, are a pleasure to cook. Brimming with kitchen wisdom, cooking tips, information about domestic and imported ingredients, menus, quotes, and lore, this timeless book feels as fresh and exciting as the day it was first published. Every reader will fall in love with cooking all over again.

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