NOSTALGIC INSPIRATION FOUND IN THE GARDEN

               Mid July...the time when everything in the garden starts to shout out loud...so to speak. When the prettiest butterflies show their appreciation for the zinnias that are flowering and the bees have their way with the sunflowers that were planted just for them.  It is also a time to bring some of that garden goodness into the house. To fill the milk glass vases full of bright and happy colors. The abundance from the gardens does not stop with the flowers though, the tomato's are a wonderful shade of green, the fennel is almost ready to be plucked out of the ground, the spaghetti squash is plump and the corn is silking up. All in the most splendid shades of green.

          The cucumbers and greenbeans are ready to be eaten and that gave me an idea for a salad that brought back nostalgic memories. Are these ingredients cluing you in? The first time I tasted a Salade Nicoise was in the mid 1970's. There were two little restaurants, bistros or cafes I suppose and if my memory serves me, they were across the street from Bloomingdales in New York, so that must have been around 59th Street. The reason I mention both is because I cannot remember if it was Yellow Fingers or Daley's Dandelion that served this salad, however, I do remember enjoying this "big" salad with a glass of white wine with my sister in law Cynthy, and then it was off to Bloomingdales for us. We had so much fun back in the day. The salad is a perfect mix of summer flavors. It starts with a big bed of fresh romaine lettuce (buy the head of lettuce, not the bagful...there is no comparing the taste). In advance you hard boil a few eggs, boil a couple of small potato's, and pop some fresh green beans into boiling water just for a minute or two. Chill them along with a cucumber and make a mustard based vinaigrette. Here is the list of ingredients

romaine lettuce, 2 small potato's, 2 eggs, a bunch of fresh green beans, a ripe tomato, cucumber, nicoise olives, 1 can of good tuna (imported is best if you can find it), 4 anchovy filets packed in oil, and a heaping teaspoon of capers. For the vinaigrette, Grey Poupon mustard, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil. I have used plain vinegar for this, but really like taragon vinegar or white balsamic for the dressing just as much.

You just compose the ingredients in little groups on top of the lettuce, whisk together the vinaigrette and pour over the salad and voila...as they say....Salade Nicoise....a hot summer evening dinner treat.  

         This post is being linked to Little Red House for Mosaic Monday and Smiling Sally for Blue Monday. Once again I have come up a little short on the blues, but I hope the amazing blue of the Swallowtail Butterfly will count.

♥, Susan 
   

Comments

[mary]

Oooo, your sunflowers are beautiful! Thanks for sharing all your wonderful summer bounty at MM. :)

[A Garden of Threads]

Your gardens look so full and lush, I remember eating that same salad. Have a wonderful week.

[Pat]

Your butterfly photos are beautiful, Susan!
Salade Nicoise looks like a wonderful summer dinner to enjoy! Thanks for sharing your recipe.

♥ Pat

[kamana]

so jealous of your garden! dreaming of a time when i have more space to grow things.

[Lenore]

Beautiful butterfly mosaic...are they the most beautiful creatures?
Your salad looks yummy....I'll be over in a bit...lol

[Snap]

I love salade nicoise! Your garden is abundant in veggies and flowers! Not to mention the butterflies. Delightful!

[EG Wow]

Yes, summer is wondrous, isn't it? Lovely mosaic and post.

[Vee]

Everything looks so wonderful. Your garden is obviously doing a lot of shouting.

[Traci Lord]

Fabulous mosaics! Your garden looks so healthy - mine is suffering in this heat.

[Carol]

Such pretty mosaics! Gorgeous flowers! and that salad looks delicious! Love salad!

[Journey]

Sunflowers are my favorites!!! And butterflies...and the bounties of summer. Guess I love them all!

[Mary Elizabeth]

Butterflies, Sunflowers, and Veggies...what else could anyone want?!

[Cathy]

Wishing you a beautiful Monday just as your beautiful pictures have offered to me. Cathy

[Valerie]

Your posting today was fabulous. Loved the butterflies and the sunflowers. The salad does look delicious. Thanks for sharing.

[Susan]

Hi Susan, what a gorgeous blog you have. I love your post today for Mosaic Monday. What a great group of pictures and a wonderful recipe as well. My husband would just love it. He's a major foodie.

I hope you have a very beautiful Monday,
Susan
http://simplepleasuressimpletreasures.blogspot.com/

http://clucklebees.blogspot.com/

[Blessing Reflections]

Gorgeous sun flowers, and zinnias! I love fresh vegetables too.

[Pondside]

What a great post - I first tasted Salad Nicoise in the 70's too, and I was hooked. Your mosaics are lovely.

[Mar]

Love this salad!! but no anchovy filets for me :)

Happy Monday!

[Sally]

Yep, that tiny touch of blue will do it!

Happy Blue Monday, Susan.

[Jen_from_NJ]

I haven't had a Salad Nicoise in a very long time. I'll have to make one soon - yours looks delicious. Your photos are gorgeous!

[Beverly]

Yum! I'll be right over.♥

[nannykim]

Mmm, I think I will try that salad. Also I have a question. What do you use your spaghetti squash for? I have used in in place of spaghetti, but I have no other recipes for it. Just curious!

[nannykim]

Ps. love your tablecloth

[Lesa]

Hi-- visiting for Mellow Yellow Monday! Love the mosaics-- I want to learn to make one.

That salad looks great! I make pan bagnat which is the sandwich version of salad nicoise-- so yummy! Check it out here, if you'd like: http://dustyus.blogspot.com/2009/06/viva-la-pan-bagnat.html

[nancyc]

I love the photo of the sunflowers and zinnias--they are some of my favorite flowers!

[Heidi - Heart and Home]

Yum, that is one of my favorite salads, esp. with seared fresh ahi tuna. So delicious!
Your flowers are lovely, too! I'd love it if you'd drop by for a visit sometime.
XO
Heidi - Heart and Home

[Healthy Foods Blog]

It looks like an Asian cuisine. Impressive!

- Tera

[Sherry]

Beautiful photos! Your salad looks wonderful. So tasty when you can harvest and eat on the same day!
Thanks for stopping by.
Sherry

[Mama Zen]

That salad looks divine!

[Eileen]

Lovely shots of the flowers and butterflies. I love the summer time for the pretty colors.

[Kristen]

Your pictures are just gorgeous! I am a complete garden nut and I love the scenes of yours....even of the veggies growing. There is something wonderful about digging and growing things in the the earth. The salad sounds wonderful. I haven't had a Nicoise in ages.

[Mary]

I really love the mosaics you created for this post, but that wonderful salad is what really caught my eye. It looks delicious and is packed with fresh summer flavor. I really have to give it a try. I hope the day treats you well. Blessings...Mary

[Brenda Kula]

You can sure tell that garden is loved! And so is that tablecloth. By me!
Brenda

[karen cox]

Sunflowers and butterflies, how delightful. Your mosaics are beautiful.
Karen

[Helen Chaffin]

lol the butterfly does count beautiful post!
Helen

[Jordan Hydro]

I suppoes, Sunny spring afternoon, garden stone bench is a good place to study.

[Grette Spadoni]

I ♥ the first set of pictures! It makes me want to visit a botanical garden soon, or better yet, have a garden with flowers as beautiful as that in my backyard.