By David Harbilas

Corn is seldom used in salads, and its sweetness makes it a perfect partner to tomatoes.

This also makes a wonderful sauce for grilled chicken or fish, though it is easier to make in a slightly “chunkier” salad, as it is here.

Serves 4

• 4 ears of corn, shucked
• 3 large vine ripe tomatoes, diced large
• 2 shallots, sliced
• About ½ head of a soft-leafed lettuce, like Boston or Bibb
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• 4 tablespoons sugar Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Smoking tomatoes adds a barbecue flavor one wouldn’t expect, and the deep flavor of eggplant holds up well to the sweetness.

Smoking isn’t a technical process, though it does take a while and requires a smoker of some sort.

The electric ones are convenient for the ease of use, as they regulate the temperature for you.

But the low-tech versions, which are little more than a charcoal grill with a side compartment attached for the smoke to originate in and move into the main grill area, offer a slower, more tactile approach.

Serves 4

• 8 lamb chops
• 6 plum tomatoes
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Tomato is one of the few vegetables that pairs well with many others, including zucchini, which seems to end up in many bland preparations.

One of the best ways to cook zucchini is to grill it, and its mild flavor goes perfectly with ripe sliced tomato.

Fennel, shaved thinly, adds a licorice flavor, and the entire salad is dressed with lemon, olive oil, and chopped oregano.

Serves 2

• 2 small zucchini
• 1 large, riped tomato, globe variety
• ½ bulb of fennel Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Lobster bisque is so familiar as to be a cliché, but the French have a similar fish soup that is equally as delicious and not nearly as well known.

The idea is the same: a flavorful tomato broth is made with aromatic vegetables, fish and fish bones, then pureed and strained.

Where the assertive flavor of lobster lends itself best to tomato paste, fish finds a better partner in fresh tomatoes, low heat, and white wine.

Serves 4

• 1 pound fish and fish bones, preferably cod or other whitefish
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 1 bulb fennel, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 cup white wine Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

In the last post we discussed the well-known diavolo sauce, and while Italian cuisine is sometimes thought of as simple or rustic it is also diverse.

Amatriciana sauce is perhaps not as well known as diavolo, but it showcases the tomato’s affinity for spice in a different way.

The addition of pancetta, the non-smoked, cured bacon, or its cousin, guanciale, lends smoky-salty quality, while also providing a degree of fat that isn’t found in diavolo.

This sauce is traditionally served with bucatini pasta, a hollow, spaghetti-like noodle. It also pairs well with any short, ridged pasta, such as fusilli or penne, and is one of the few tomato sauces that, in my mind, pairs well with wine, especially the deeper-bodied reds produced in northern Italy.

yields about 2 quarts

• 2 quarts of basic tomato sauce
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced Read the rest of this entry »

David Harbilas

The combination of tomatoes and chili is obvious, like steak and potatoes.

Making a truly great tomato sauce with heat, however, is not so easily done.

Luckily, most canned Italian plum tomatoes are sweet enough to support a good deal of spice.

Balancing the sugar with a degree of punch, however, is a bit trickier. Most diavolo sauces simply call for garlic and red pepper flake for heat.

This version, adapted from Radici Restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, broadens the spectrum of spice without overpowering one’s palate. Traditionally served with seafood, diavolo works well with chicken and beef, though it is also wonderful served simply with pasta, or even over a slice of grilled bread and a poached egg, also known as “eggs in purgatory.”

yields roughly 2 quarts

• Two 35 ounce cans of whole, peeled Italian plum tomatoes
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced Read the rest of this entry »