“Niçoise.” You may have seen the word previously on a menu, but are not entirely sure how to pronounce it. Niçoise (pronounced “nee-swahz”) is a classic French dish often found in European Bistros and adored by culinarians around the world. Although you can find more traditional iterations that only use cooked tuna and raw vegetables, this is a more nouveau take with grilled salmon, boiled eggs, and blanched vegetables. Some briny olives and capers add salty interest, while the tangy lemon vinaigrette packs the punch.

Since I’ve been here at All Things BBQ, I’ve wanted to bring my magic tahini dressing to the masses. I don’t think it gives you magical powers necessarily, but it comes together in a way that’s so simple that it feels like magic. It’s also a dressing where you can mess around with the ratios of tahini, honey, and lemon to suit your taste, so feel free to play around to make it your own. I always enjoy when people feel empowered to play by their own rules, so here I’m allowing you to do that.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m not the best at packing my lunch. It doesn’t help that I  work in kitchens where food is so readily available to eat. You can’t blame me for not planning ahead! But between recipe developing menus for cooking classes, or whipping up a dessert buffet for 50, I often dream about what I would rather have for lunch that day.

Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for this scratch made Barbecue Chicken Grilled Pizza. Wood fired, start to finish!