Full of Nicoise flavours, this chunky dressing goes amazingly well with seared tuna steaks, roast or barbecued lamb and you can skip the anchovies if you like to make it vegetarian, for a delicious dressing for a hearty, warm potato and egg salad.
This is what I love to top a good seared tuna steak with, on top of steamed French beans and potatoes, with a side of leaves and tomatoes in my take on Tuna Nicoise Salad (see here for recipe). Anchovies, garlic, olives and tomatoes are also great partners to lamb, and this is delicious spooned over freshly grilled or barbecued lamb rump or leg steaks (or even sliced roast lamb), served with roasted Mediterranean style vegetables and baked baby potatoes with olive oil, sea salt and garlic (just par-boil first for ten minutes or so, and stick in a dish in a hot oven for about half an hour).
Is your mouth watering yet? (Mine is!). You can easily double this, and it will also keep in the fridge for a few days. It's nice as a dip for warm crusty bread too, (oh how decadent!) and good warm or cold - although my preference is for warm or room temperature - not chilled.
This quantity serves four, at 142 calories per serving.
Ingredients
Handful fresh basil leaves (around 10g) [2]
1 clove garlic, peeled [6]
1 small shallot, peeled (or 1/2 a banana shallot, 25g) [6]
3 anchovy fillets (from a jar in oil, drained) [20]
50g pitted olives (black nicoise if you can get them, or good quality green if you prefer) [70]
2 x 15ml tbsp white balsamic vinegar (you could use normal balsamic or apple cider vinegar if you prefer) [26]
1/2 tbsp (7.5ml) lemon juice [2]
1 tsp dijon mustard [7]
3 x 15ml tbsp (45 ml/g) good extra virgin olive oil [405]
1 tbsp small capers (e.g. nonpareille) [3]
1 large vine tomato (about 100g) [20]
Freshly ground black pepper (and salt if required) to taste [1]
Method
(See below for Thermomix method, in italics)
The dressing can be served warm or cold - it's up to you. You can prepare it in advance, and it will keep for a few days in the fridge, although my recommendation is not to serve it chilled, as the flavours will be dulled. Warm is good, or room temperature.
To make the dressing, crush the garlic, and 'relatively' finely chop the shallots, anchovies, olives and basil (depending on how 'chunky' you've like it). put into a small pan with the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and oil. Put onto the lowest heat, and gently warm through for a few minutes (don't boil or simmer) while you skin the tomato (cut a cross into the bottom, and either stick a fork into the top and hold over a gas flame, turning, or put into a jug of just-boiled water for a few seconds, then remove, put under cold water and peel). Chop in half through the top to the bottom, cut out the core, and gently remove and discard the seeds, then cut into small dice.
Once the anchovies have melted into the warmed sauce, take it off the heat, stir in the tomatoes and capers, season with freshly ground black pepper (and salt if you desire, although I don't think it needs it) and set aside. If yours looks a little different to mine, done worry, as I used green olives this time, and a mixture of purple and green basil (as that's what we've got growing on the windowsill).
When you're ready to serve, give a quick stir (or shake) to amalgamate the oil and vinegar, and spoon over your dish. Enjoy!
Thermomix method
To make the dressing, set the Thermomix to run on Speed 8, and drop the basil, peeled garlic and shallots, and drained anchovies onto the running blades in that order. Turn down to Speed 4 and drop the olives onto the running blades and give them about 3 seconds then turn off.
Scrape down, add a few good grinds of black pepper, and add the 2 tbsp (30g) vinegar, 1/2 tbsp (7g) lemon juice and 3 tbsp (45g) extra virgin olive oil. Cook at 90C / Reverse Spoon / 1 minute 30 seconds / Speed 1, and then when the alarm goes off, cook at 70C / Reverse Spoon / 2 minutes / Speed Spoon (slow). Meanwhile, skin the large tomato (cut a cross into the bottom, and either stick a fork into the top and hold over a gas flame, turning, or put into a jug of just-boiled water for a few seconds, then remove, put under cold water and peel). Chop in half through the top to the bottom, cut out the core, and gently remove and discard the seeds, then cut into small dice, around 1/2cm - OK, you could do this in the Thermomix first, and set aside, but for me it's only one tomato and having spent the time skinning it myself, I'm happy to spend a few more seconds cutting it into perfect small dice while the dressing is warming through! Once the dressing is done, scrape into a bowl, and stir in the diced, skinned tomato and capers. If your dressing looks a little different to mine, done worry, as I used green olives this time, and a mixture of purple and green basil (as that's what we've got growing on the windowsill).
When you're ready to serve, give a quick stir (or shake) to amalgamate the oil and vinegar, and spoon over your dish. Enjoy!
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