Parisian Bistro cooking class: part 1 - Salad Nicoise

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I attended my second cooking class at Whole Foods this weekend titled Parisian Bistro. The class was a lot of fun, informative and decadent. I ate delicious French food like an American, meaning, way too much! Now I am armed with some great recipes and I already feel the wheels turning as I plan my next dinner party with a Parisian theme!

A major highlight of the class is Culinary Director, Ani Loizzo. She created the menu and recipes and adds a lot of extra color and commentary throughout the class. She should have her own cooking show!

I am going to post the recipes and photos in a series. Today's recipe is for an amazing Nicoise salad, delicious as a salad course but also robust enough to be a main entree.

Stay tuned for part 2, which will include a French Onion soup recipe. Bon appetit!!

Salad Nicoise (recipe credit to Ani Loizzo/Whole Foods)

Ingredients

2 heads butter lettuce, washed and dried, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 cup each green beans, blanched and fingerling potatoes, roasted and halved
2 cans tuna packed in olive oil
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup small French olives (preferably nicoise)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons each lemon juice, capers and red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
1 shallot, roughly chopped
6 anchovy fillets

Directions
To make the vinaigrette, add fillets, capers and shallots to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add Dijon mustard, lemon juice and vinegar, process to a smooth paste. Stream in the olive oil until well-combined and silky. Set aside.

Arrange a bed of lettuce on each place, then arrange all other ingredients on top. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately. Serves 8-10.