Niçoise Pasta Salad

Total time: 25 minutes
     Traditionally (besides being served on lettuce) this should have the small, black Niçoise olives but I use the dry-cured Greek - because I didn't want to bother pitting the small ones.  Get the best canned tuna you can find.  Salade Niçoise always uses canned, never fresh.  The pasta takes the place of the potatoes.

 Ingredients:

• 6oz green beans, 170gr, 6oz
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 90gr, 3.2oz
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 80gr, 2.8oz
• 9oz canned tuna, 255gr, 9oz
• 2 eggs, hard boiled, 130gr, 4.6oz
• 1/2 cup black or green olives, (or both) pitted and halved  I used dry-cured Greek black, 50gr, 1.8oz
• 2 tbs fresh snipped chives   Substitute 2 tsp dried
• 1 1/4 cups pasta, bite-size, penne, fusilli, 113gr, 4oz
• 4 anchovy fillets, 16gr, .6oz  optional
• Vinaigrette
• 1/4 cup good olive oil, 54gr, 1.9oz
• 2 tbs tarragon white wine vinegar, 32gr, 1.2oz
• 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard, 15gr, .5oz
• 1 tbs lemon juice, 15gr, .5oz
• 1 tbs fresh tarragon   Substitute 2 tsp dried
• 2 tbs snipped chives  Substitute 2 tsp dried

 Instructions:

• Boil eggs.
• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Top and tail beans and cut in half.
• Fill a medium saucepan 2/3 full of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add beans and blanch for 3 minutes
• Drain and rinse with cold water.
• To make vinaigrette whisk vinegar, mustard and lemon juice.
• Slowly whisk in oil and whisk until it emulsifies.
• Add tarragon and chives and put into a large salad bowl.
• Add beans to vinaigrette.
• Cut tomatoes in half and add to vinaigrette.
• Clean pepper by cutting in half and discarding seeds.  Slice half of the pepper and add to vinaigrette.
• Snip chives and add.
• Cut olives in half and add (you get the picture.. - stir gently after each addition.).
• Drain tuna, and add.
• When pasta is cooked, drain and add to mix in salad bowl.
• Toss lightly to combine.
• Quarter eggs and arrange on top
• Garnish with anchovies, if desired, and serve.

---------------------------------------------------------

Nutrition Information               Recipe serves 2            Entire Recipe / per serving Calories:  1560 / 780 Total Carbohydrates:  108 / 54           Dietary Fiber: 17.5 / 8.75 Total Fat:  79 / 39.5          Saturated Fat:  14 / 7 Cholesterol:  638 / 319 Protein:  106 / 53 Calcium:  728 / 364 Sodium:   2268 / 1133

General Technical Details and Disclaimer:

Measurements are actual measurements used for calculation. If there are no values the nutritional numbers were simply too small.

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

My information comes from my own digital, computerized scale and the USDA Nutrient Data Library: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/