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Kabocha gives
niçoise island twist

We have hit salad season, as noted in the article at left, which means it is prime time for a main-dish mix of veggies, with added protein for bulk.

Perfect season for niçoise, a French salad that typically involves green beans, tomatoes and black olives, with anchovies, tuna and hard-boiled eggs making it practically a one-dish meal.

Rules are made to be broken, though, and niçoise is one of those dishes that has been adapted to many culinary styles. The venerable "Joy of Cooking" notes: "This recipe from the South of France is often carried to the point of agreeable anarchy."

Gwen Harada found a niçoise that vamps on the traditional, but with restraint and to good result, at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental's Plumeria Beach House. "I could almost become a full-fledged vegetarian with this wonderful salad."

The salad trades eggs and anchovies for slices of seared ahi, which is typical in island versions of the dish. The real twist is in cubes of kabocha -- a small, green-skinned pumpkin easy to find in our supermarkets.

Chef Milan Drager says he added the kabocha "to give niçoise an island touch."

Salad Niçoise

1/4 cup EACH diced red bliss potatoes, diced kabocha, green beans and sliced red onions
1 tomato
3 ounces ahi
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon blackening spice (Paul Prudhomme brand recommended)
1/4 cup kalamata olives
>> Vinaigrette:
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast potatoes and kabocha squash 15 minutes, or until tender.

Blanch beans and onions; cool in an ice bath. Drain.

Cut outer flesh of tomato away from seeds and pulp. Cut flesh into strips.

Heat olive oil in skillet over high heat. Coat ahi in blackening spice. When pan is very hot, add ahi and sear, 2 to 5 seconds per side. Cool and slice.

To make vinaigrette: Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Add salt and pepper.

Toss beans, potatoes, onions and squash with vinaigrette; season with salt and pepper. Top with ahi , olives and tomato. Serves 1.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (using all vinaigrette; not including salt to taste): 1,300 calories, 100 g fat, 14 grams saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 62 g carbohydrates, 12 g fiber, 15 g sugar, 36 g protein.

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