Tunisian Salad

We first arrived in Tunis at the end of winter. It was a rough transition from Brazil – who knew that North Africa could be so cold and drizzly? But whenever the sun came out and the weather was even the least bit clement, tables full of diners would spill out of restaurants and onto sidewalks – Tunis’s café culture, it appeared, rivaled that of France in its appreciation of outdoor lounging. And we learned that Tunisia shares many other gastronomical traits and passions with its former French colonists, from its delicious and ubiquitous baguettes to its creative and liberal use of canned tuna (packed in olive oil, of course).

Tunisian Salad is a riff on the Mediterranean salad, and though it more closely resembles a French Niçoise Salad than Greek Salad, it is distinctly Tunisian. Serve it as a lunch with a crusty baguette, or as a side salad with dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of tuna packed in olive oil
• 5 large tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 medium cucumbers
• 1 medium onion
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• ½ c. cured black olives
• ½ c. olive oil
• 4 T. red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon juice
• ¼ c. fresh mint leaves
• salt to taste
• 1 head butter lettuce

Directions:

1. Cut all of the vegetables to a small dice and put in a bowl.

2. Mince the mint and add to bowl.

3. Add lemon juice and vinegar to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Add salt to taste.

4. Add olive oil and mix.

5. Chill salad in the refrigerator.

6. Serve salad atop lettuce leaves, arranging tuna, eggs, and olives around the perimeter.