The classic salad niçoise

Serves 4-6

You need
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered • 450gr string beans • 1 fresh lettuce • 420gr canned tuna • 4 firm tomatoes cut into wedges • 1 small red onion, peeled • 8 anchovy fillets, halved lengthwise • 4 large eggs • 16 whole black olives

For the dressing
5 tbsps olive oil • 2 tbsps red wine vinegar • 1 garlic clove, crushed • 1 tsp Dijon mustard • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

Wash the vegetables and drain. Boil the potatoes in salted water for eight minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Trim the end bits from the beans. Boil in salted water for 12 minutes (four minutes for frozen beans). Drain and set aside to cool.

Shred the lettuce leaves coarsely with your fingers and arrange the leaves on a large serving dish. Drain the tuna, place it on a plate and break it up into chunks with a fork. Slice the onion thinly and break the slices into rings. Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with water and slowly bring to the boil. Let the eggs boil for 10 minutes, drain and leave to cool before peeling them and quartering them with a sharp knife.

Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a screw-top jar, close the jar tightly and shake to combine the ingredients.

Arrange the potatoes, beans, tomatoes, tuna, onion rings, anchovies, eggs and olives on the prepared lettuce. When it’s time to serve the salad, give another good shake to the dressing in the jar and pour it over the salad.

Italian rice salad

Serves 6-8

You need
• 250gr long grain rice • 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped • 2 apples, peeled and cored • 3 capsicums (sweet peppers) • 120gr gammon, thickly sliced • 120gr Emmenthal cheese, thickly sliced • 3 firm tomatoes, cut into wedges• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

For the dressing
• 6 tbsp olive oil • 1 lemon, juice only • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

For this recipe, use red, yellow and green capsicums. Cut the capsicums in half, remove the seeds and cut them into thin strips. Dice the apples, gammon and cheese. Combine the oil, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar in a small jar and season.

Cook the rice in slightly salted boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool it rapidly. Drain the rice well and place it in a large salad bowl. Mix in all the other ingredients except the tomatoes. Season the rice salad and drizzle the dressing. Give the salad a good toss and garnish with the tomato wedges. Keep chilled as rice ferments very quickly in warm weather.

Serve at room temperature.

Peter Dacoutros is the author of My Favourites, which includes over 200 new recipes for all occasions, all illustrated in a unique publication. Available in all major bookstores.