Twin Obsessions: Nicoise and Pesto

I have been a fan of a good nicoise since the first encounter many years ago in France, but it's not something I have attempted at home more than once or twice. Pesto is another of my Mediterranean obsessions. This year, I already have basil thanks to a huge plant from Trader Giovanni and some unseasonably warm weather. Ergo: the Primo Pesto Plate. First make a pesto: Not having pine nuts but blessed with a surfeit of almonds in the freezer, I blanched 1/2 cup almonds briefly in salted water, since they still had on their skins, then cooled them and removed the skins. That was kind of fun, as they squirt out like grapes. Next I toasted them, shaking them frequently in a heavy dry skillet (I was careful to add only a trace of color). I added the almonds to the food processor with a big handful of fresh basil leaves; 2 sprigs of fresh oregano stripped off the stems; 2 T. olive oil, 3 garlic cloves; juice of half a lemon and 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar; 1/4 pound feta, crumbled; 1/4 cup chopped or grated parmesan, salt and pepper. I processed the mixture, adding a little water until the consistency was like a thick salad dressing, not a paste. I already had a piece of baked salmon in the refrigerator (or you could steam an uncooked piece of fish with the vegetables. If I hadn't had the cooked salmon, I could have used a can of solid albacore tuna, drained). Next, I steamed two red potatoes, cut into fours; four spears asparagus; and half a pound of fresh green beans over salted water. I started with the potatoes, then added the green beans and asparagus, cooking them until the potatoes were fork tender. If your steamer is small and you're also cooking the fish, you could briefly cook the green beans in a little salted water in a saucepan, shocking them in cold water to stop the cooking. The vegetables cooled to nearly room temperature. Meanwhile, I chopped two scallions, and washed and halved six cherry tomatoes. To assemble the meal, I arranged the potatoes, green beans, asparagus and fish pieces on each plate, placing cherry tomatoes around the edges, and scattering scallions on top. Then I placed a generous serving (about 1/4 cup) of the pesto in a small container next to each plate, to drop spoonfuls of pesto over the vegetables and fish to taste. Mom is not a big pesto fan, so I had more pesto readily at hand. The extra pesto freezes well. Walnuts, even pine nuts as per the original recipe might be substituted for the blanched almonds Other options: Low carb people could steam half a head of cauliflower, broken into florets, to replace the potatoes. Kalamata olives would be tasty additions arranged around the plate with the tomatoes. Or I could have eliminated the asparagus and added steamed or marinated artichoke hearts. Now I am eating more Mediterranean than ever by combining twin cravings.