NOVEL THINKING

Equally – what else is a magnificent salad if not a monumentally good way to use up the maybe-aging contents of your fridge? Cucumber is pretty much a constant, apart from in a version by Jean-Noël Escudier in his La Veritable Cuisine Provencale et Niçoise, quoted by Elizabeth David in French Provincial Cooking, which is a very simple affair of tomatoes strewn with anchovies, chopped green pepper and black olives. Personally, though, I’m less convinced about the presence of the potato in this particular salad which is so typically Provençal. Why is this relevant? Put the eggs in a pan of cold water and bring slowly to the boil. Delia's dressing is too dominant: you don't need Dijon mustard if you have Provencale olives and anchovies (although Delia actually uses English mustard powder). The basis, the whole raison d’être if you like, of the Salade Niçoise is the tomato (the reason that acid in the form of vinegar or lemon juice is not traditional is because there is sufficient acid provided by the tomatoes). The method for making these rolls (I’m telling you this for a reason) is to take a long-shaped French roll and cut it in half lengthways. Indeed, the majority of my tasters agree it's "a bit pointless" in this context – so that's tuna out.

Put the eggs in a panful of cold water, bring to the boil and let bubble for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, pod and then peel the broad beans (if using French beans, top and tail them, then cook in salted boiling water until just tender and decant into iced water) and drop the tomatoes into boiling water for 15 seconds, then peel, slice and deseed them. I’m also with Mimi Sheraton (I’m with Mimi Sheraton on pretty much everything –  see Food and How to Harness Its Power in the Deliciously Slow Art of Seduction) on the matter of the tuna. Rowley Leigh is strongly against them, and David Lebovitz, who proclaims himself a disciple of Médecin on this point, goes for raw broad beans instead. I’m sure I risked upsetting a few purists too, last Sunday, with my Nicoise/Caesar salad hybrid! Photograph: Felicity Cloake, Delia Smith recipe salade niçoise. I'm surprised to find that the first few recipes I look at eschew the tuna altogether – Rowley Leigh, Nigel Slater and Simon Hopkinson all prefer it without – but finally, I find an exponent in good old Delia Smith, who calls the niçoise "one of the best combinations of salad ingredients ever invented". Leftovers go into a spare hollowed out baguette for a “sandwich nicoise” the next day. It’s unacceptable to use both anchovy and tuna…it’s strictly either or (I think you can get away with using marinated anchovies!). In my defence, when I actually spent some time in Nice and its environs I realised my prejudice was entirely based on the British version of the dish, which regards tinned tuna (my bete noir) as a mandatory ingredient. Hot things in cold salads are not particularly nice, and cold soft-boiled eggs are divisive. I'm also borrowing an idea from Gary Rhodes' salsa niçoise and finely chopping a few anchovies in addition to the slivers of fish used as a topping; this way you get a punch of gloriously salty anchovies in every bite, which is definitely a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

Peel and quarter the eggs and arrange on top, along with the olives, capers, anchovy strips and basil leaves. Originally stale bread was used and moistened with a little water, and the tomato juice, these days a little olive oil and vinegar may be added. Be warned, very salty!!! Here’s her forthright opinion: “’Salade Nicoise with fresh tuna is a travesty,’ my friend Mimi Sheraton, the former New York Times critic, cheerfully scolded me after I praised Niçoise made with seared tuna at Time Warner Center’s Landmarc last week. I wouldn't have thought to do it, but it makes so much sense! Photograph: Felicity Cloake, David Lebovitz recipe salade niçoise. Capers are, I think, optional – Médecin doesn't use them, but they do work well with the other Provencale goodies in the dish.

Recently, famed chef Albert Escoffier (who died in 1935), daringly added boiled potatoes and blanched green beans, there was a huge outcry which has been raging ever since. Cold white wine and hot toasted mini baguettes round out the meal. 2. But then he goes and asks for a measly tuna salad….Aside from the President and his predilection for Burger King, everyone’s a salad buff in DC these days.” -Josh Glancy, The Sunday Times . Gary and Rowley Leigh use spring onions, Delia shallots, and David Lebovitz suggests spring onions or thinly sliced red onion. It only takes a minute in any case. I've never tried anchovies before so I thought I would put a couple in.

Three minutes in, add the beans.

Garlic, however, is an absolute must – and adding it to the dressing is a more reliable way of doing things than the classic rubbing of the salad bowl trick. I’m optimistic it would get the Nigella seal of approval! As Escudier's recipe suggests, tomatoes should be a major part of every niçoise – and they have to be really ripe. I am a great believer in keeping these on hand. Make Pan Bagna, of course! Everyone seems to have a very strong opinion as to what should or should not go into a Salade Nicoise, so let me tell you from the outset, I have no desire to join the fray. Médecin uses green pepper, as does Escudier, which suggests to me it's the traditional choice. One of my favourites. If you were rich enough you could replace the anchovy with tuna. Pour the dressing around and over the salad. How do you make yours? The panel unanimously prefers the salads, like Rowley Leigh's, which contain no leaves whatsoever – although I serve the Lebovitz salad immediately one taster describes it as "a little bit sad' in comparison with the robust crunchiness of its competitors.

I like the crunch it adds – and the simple refreshment it provides in a dish which, for maximum enjoyment, should be saved for very hot days. The original Pan Bagna was also nicknamed plat du pauvre, it was made for fishermen and farm labourers – and I simply can’t imagine a poor person not using up in the sandwich whatever was to hand. Peel and quarter the almost but not quite hard-boiled eggs and add to the salad along with the croutons, anchovy fillets (if using) and basil leaves.

Deseeding them is another must, for the same reason as the cucumber. A classic fines herbes is a popular addition to salade niçoise – Delia suggests chives and chervil and tarragon, among others, a combination also favoured by Escoffier, and she also adds chopped parsley but I finally decide on the basil preferred by Leigh and Médecin – it puts the final, Mediterranean stamp on the dish. But then he goes and asks for a measly tuna salad….Aside from the President and his predilection for Burger King, everyone’s a salad buff in DC these days.”. Are you passionate about potatoes, fanatical about French beans, or do you think a salade niçoise wouldn't dare step out on the Promenade des Anglais without its tuna? Gary serves his chargrilled tuna with a sort of niçoise salsa. It's nice enough, but it has quite a mild flavour which doesn't have a hope against the strident saltiness of the anchovies.

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