The Big Glut Recipe – July

SALAD NIÇOISE

Light the barbecue, pack a picnic, invite friends for lunch, spend a bit of time preparing a salad with fresh veg from the garden and you’ll be fully appreciated. Here’s a feast for a summer day.

Ingredients: 

• 4 x 175g/6oz tuna steaks, 2.5cm/1in thick
• 8 new potatoes, cooked and quartered lengthways
• 4 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 115g/4oz extra fine French beans, topped, cooked and drained
• 4 little gem lettuce hearts, quartered lengthways
• 1 red onion finely sliced
• 4 hardboiled eggs 
• 6 anchovy fillets, the ones in thin strips in olive oil
• 16 pitted black olives in brine, drained
• 8 big basil leaves

For the marinade you need:

• 105ml/7tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp freshly snipped chives
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Make up the marinade by whisking all the ingredients together or put them into a clean jam jar with a screw top and shake. Put the tuna steaks into a dish and pour over half the marinade. Give them enough room to get nicely coated, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours, turning them over and covering with the marinade periodically.

Use a ridged griddle pan on a hob or barbecue until hot enough to sear the tuna steaks for two to three minutes each side. Assemble the salad on a large serving plate with the lettuce, anchovies, potato, onions, beans and tomatoes. Place the cooked tuna on top and add the eggs and olives. Tear the basil leaves and scatter over then drizzle on the rest of the marinade. Plenty for four with some crusty bread to mop up the marinade.