Salad Nicoise and Provencal Rose – A Make Ahead Meal

A month ago Suzanne from A Pug in the Kitchen made Salad Nicoise for our #winepw group assignment.   The presentation was so pretty I knew I wanted to try it.

The stars aligned: my local seafood store got in fresh albacore tuna the same week my CSA farm share Pitchfork and Crow had potatoes, haricot vert, and beets.  Throw in my burgeoning garden of tomatoes and herbs plus a productive laying week at the chicken farm and we were set for a country meal from Provence.

The BEST part about this dish is that it can be prepared ahead of time.  I served mine room temperature.  It is the prefect dish for company because your kitchen won’t be hot or in disarray.  Plus it looks fancy but was easy peasy to prepare.

There are many versions of this recipe involving anchovies, capers, lettuce etc.  I basically followed Suzanne’s recipe of roasted potatoes and beets, parboiled haricot vert, hard boiled eggs, olives and seared tuna steaks.  I added only tomatoes to the platter.

Because I had a ton of tasty herbs I changed the dressing up a bit (recipe at end of post).  I also used premium olive oil from my favorite local mill – Oregon Olive Mill at Red Ridge Farms.

Nicoise comes from the city of Nice in  Southeastern France near the Mediterranean Coast.  This area is known for rose wines.  In the spirit of “what grows together goes together” we paired a Provencal rose –  Cuvee Reserve Tradition 2013 Chateau du Rouet from Cotes de Provence.  The very light color of this wine – light salmon or onion skin – could fool you.  It had a surprising body that was perfect for the meaty tuna.  Fruit flavors married nicely with the sweeter flavors of the meal – roasted beets and honey sweetened vinaigrette.  I do not know the exact grapes in the wine but it is probably a blend of some or all of the following: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Tibouren.The #winepw group or “wine pairing weekend” is a group of writers who create themed recipes and wine pairings each month.  I always share this great resource here on Tasting Pour.