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HOT NICOISE
SALAD
One cold wintry day in
London, I was dream-
ing about salad Nicoise
— one of my favorites.
It didn't seem right to
be eating something
so crispy and chilly in
the dead of winter, so
I devised this hot ver-
sion. It's a one-pan dish
and an easy cleanup. Perfect for when
you are having friends for Sunday lunch
or dinner but don't have hours to prep.
1 /2 lb. green beans, ends trimmed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 /2 cup Nicoise olives (preferably
pitted)
7 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil,
divided
1 large handful fresh basil leaves
1 yellow Roasted Bell Pepper,
roughly torn into strips*
1 red Roasted Bell Pepper, roughly
torn into strips*
1 dozen olive oil–packed Spanish
anchovies
4 6-oz. tuna steaks
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 organic large eggs
1 lemon, halved
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Steam the green beans for 4 minutes.
Immediately toss them together in a large
roasting pan with the tomatoes, olives
and 4 Tbsp. of the olive oil, crushing the
tomatoes slightly with your hands. Tear in
the basil and push the mixture around the
perimeter of the pan. Nestle the peppers

and anchovies in and around
the vegetables. Lay the tuna
steaks in the middle of the pan
and coat each with 1/2 Tbsp. of
olive oil and rub with a gener-
ous amount of salt and pepper.
Crack each egg into a small
ramekin and tuck the rame-
kins into the corners of the
pan. Drizzle each egg evenly
with the remaining Tbsp. of
olive oil and sprinkle with salt
and pepper. Stick the whole thing in the
oven for 12 minutes, or until the eggs are
just set and the tuna is cooked through but
still moist. Pull the pan out, squeeze lemon
over everything and serve.
* To make Roasted Peppers: Roast
whole bell peppers over an open flame on
high heat, rotating with tongs, until com-
pletely blackened all over. Be patient —
you want the flesh to soften and the skin
to be totally, totally charred; it should
take 15-20 minutes. After the peppers
are cooked, put them in a large metal or
glass bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and
let them sit until they're cool enough to
handle (the covered bowl creates steam
which makes it super easy to peel the
peppers). A plastic bag works, too. When
they're cool, slip off and discard the
charred skins, running them under water
as needed to remove all the skin. Cut
the peppers open and discard the seeds.
These keep for 1-2 weeks well rubbed
with a little olive oil and stored in an air-
tight container in the refrigerator.
Serves 4. Active er total preparation
time: 25 minutes. You can arrange the
whole thing early in the day and then
throw it in the oven right before dinner.

BLUEBERRY
PAVLOVA
Pavlova is easy and kind
of foolproof. Just use
fresh ripe blueberries, or
any kind you like really
— its so delicious with
meringue. I like to make
this after I make home-
made pasta so I don't
waste the egg whites.
4 organic large egg whites
pinch fine salt
1/2 tsp. white vinegar
3 /4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated
sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 /2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
11/2 cups fresh blueberries,
plus more for serving
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine egg whites, salt and white
vinegar together in the bowl of an elec-
tric mixer and beat on high speed until
soft peaks form. Combine the 3/4 cup
sugar and cornstarch together in a small
bowl and add to the egg whites in thirds,

whisking each addition in
completely. Add the vanilla
and beat until stiff peaks
form. Line a baking sheet
with parchment paper
and spoon the meringue
in 8 big spoonfuls, using a
spoon to spread them in a
circle, and then make an
indent in each. Bake for 10
minutes, lower the heat to
200 degrees, and bake for another hour.
Turn off the heat and cool the meringues
in the oven for an hour, propping the
door open with a wooden spoon.
Meanwhile, whip the cream together
with the remaining 2 Tbsp. of sugar.
In a small bowl, crush 1/2 cup of the
blueberries with a potato masher or a
spoon to release their juice. Fold those
and the rest of the blueberries into the
cream if you like, or use as a topping
over the egg whites and cream. Evenly
distribute the cream on the meringues,
filling in the indentations. Top with
juicy blueberries and serve.
Serves 8. Active preparation time 15
minutes. Total preparation: 21/2 hours. P

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