SUMMER NIGHT'S SALAD

Summer Night's Salad image

This salad is light but fulsome, a scoop of punched-up tuna paired with the summer's best greens and some carefully considered vegetables. Serve a soft cow or goat's milk cheese on the side with some crusty bread and a crisp, chilled rosé to cut into it all. The goal is this: On a sweltering night, dinner must leave enough room for fresh peaches and vanilla ice cream, a fitting reward for finishing your vegetables.

Provided by Toby Cecchini

Categories salads and dressings

Time 15m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

6 cups summer greens (mesclun, arugula, spinach or others)
12 asparagus spears, trimmed to 3 inches, parboiled for 7 minutes, then cooled
1/4 pound haricots verts, parboiled with asparagus for 4 minutes, then cooled
6 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 small bulb fennel, sliced very thin
6 mild pickled okra pods, sliced lengthwise into quarters
1 Kirby cucumber, sliced thin
12 or so good-quality black olives, like calamata or gaeta, pitted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil or mustard oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups tuna salad (see recipe)

Steps:

Build salads to order on four large plates. Start with a small handful of greens for each plate and divide the asparagus, haricots verts, tomatoes, fennel, okra, cucumber and olives accordingly.
Drizzle the salads with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and olive or mustard oil and season with salt and pepper.
Mound spoonfuls of the tuna in the center of each salad. Serve with sliced bread and a good soft cheese.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 287, UnsaturatedFat 11 grams, Carbohydrate 22 grams, Fat 14 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 20 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 762 milligrams, Sugar 5 grams