Cooking at the Market
It was a lovely day to visit downtown Farmington on June 1. The annual Art on the Grand filled Grand River while a few steps away the Farmers Market was filled with shoppers who picked a great day to visit. Chef Daniel Meier, a professional chef and Farmington Hills resident, cooked up a tasty dish, Seared Tuna Nicoise Salad, which he then shared with marketgoers. He also demonstrated knife skills and answered questions from the crowd. A tasty treat, indeed.
Assisting Chef Dan were Market volunteers and assistant chefs Micki Skrzycki, Theresa Miller and Polly Warhol.
Chef Dan’s Seared Tuna Nicoise Salad
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Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
8 oz. Small yellow, fingerling or redskin potatoes, cooked and halved. (cooking directions below)
4 oz. Fresh green beans or haricot vert, trimmed, blanched, cut in half
4 Hard-boiled eggs, chilled and halved
4 Canned artichoke hearts, drained and halved
3 Roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled and quartered
1 Small red onion, sliced
2 Radishes, sliced thin or quartered
1/2 c. Nicoise or Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 Heads of Boston lettuce, cleaned, separated into leaves
2 oz. Olive oil
1 lb. Yellowfin tuna, peppered and quickly seared on both sides
Parsley, dill and tarragon, chopped
HERBED VINAIGRETTE
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Capers
2 T Chopped herbs (tarragon, dill, parsley)
1/8 c. White wine vinegar
1 tsp. Local honey
1T Lemon juice
1T Lemon zest
1 Small shallot, minced
1/3 c. Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Make the vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk mustard, capers, chopped herbs, vinegar, honey, lemon juice and zest and shallots. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook potatoes: Place potatoes in a small pot and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to moderate, cover tightly and steam for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Take off heat. When potatoes are just cool enough to handle, quarter them and place in bowl.
Blanche green beans: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and boil until just tender, about 3 minutes. Immediately remove from pot; cut any large beans in half. Transfer to bowl of water and ice. Once beans are chilled, remove from water, pat dry, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate.
Blanching tomatoes: Add tomatoes to boiling water for 15 seconds or until peel is coming off.
SALAD ASSEMBLY
Lightly toss lettuce with vinaigrette. Add the potatoes, green beans, eggs, artichokes, radishes, tomatoes, olives and capers. Generously drizzle with vinaigrette, sprinkle with chopped herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Thinly sliced tuna and lay over salad.
