Bastille day dinner : Recipes and wines

Salade nicoise with Seared tuna :

What you need :

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped thyme leaves

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground fennel

2 large shallots, coarsely chopped

Ten 1-inch-thick tuna steaks (8 ounces each)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation :

In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil with the wine, mustard, thyme, fennel and shallots. Arrange the tuna steaks on a large rimmed baking sheet and pour the marinade over them. Turn the tuna steaks to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat, turning once, for 4 minutes per side, until medium. Thinly slice the steaks, transfer to plates and serve.

Traditional accompaniments: String beans, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, fresh tomatoes and steamed potatoes tossed with olive oil and fresh chives.

Dressing : Shallots, dijon mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar ,salt,pepper

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Roasted leg of lamb with marinated red bell peppers

What you need :

Boneless leg of lamb

4 red bell peppers

1 cup olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Sliced black olives

Capers

Fresh thyme sprigs

6-8 garlic cloves

Preparation :

-Leg of lamb : Don't remove the netting which is around the lamb.Season the lamb with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs(thyme, rosemary,..) .Make a few cuts with a sharp knife inside the lamb and insert a few garlic cloves. Sear the lamb for 15mn at 450F then roast at 325F.Do not cover the roast.Cook until the lamb roast reaches an internal temperature of 120F. Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let sit approximately 15 to 20  minutes.Slice the roast with a sharp knife.Serve warm or cold with a mayonnaise.

- Red bell peppers marinade : Char the peppers on a grill  for 30 mn . Let them cool down a few minutes then seal them in a tight plastic container for 15mn.In the meantime, slice 4 garlic cloves.Pour them in a dish with the olive oil and roast the garlic in the oven at 400F for 15mn . Remove the blackened skin and seeds of the peppers and slice it into strips.Arrange a layer of strips in a shallow dish with roasted sliced garlic and add parmesan, capers, sliced black olives, pepper, thyme.Make the same layer arrangement as many times as you need.Once done, pour garlic oil into the dish , cover and place into refrigerator for 24hrs.

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