By David Harbilas

When I was about 25 I was living in a small house in southern New Hampshire with four other people.

I was pretty broke at the time and just starting out as a line cook while pursuing my first masters degree in English.

I was scouring a cookbook one day for a unique recipe and came across this one from the original Craig Claiborne New York Times Cookbook, which I think is now out of print. (Claiborne did about as much for modernizing cooking in America as anyone, including Julia Child.)

Like many recipes of the time, it doesn’t take a lot of fancy ingredients or methods to create. But it did foreshadow the use of acid (vinegars and citrus) in a lot of braises that would become popular in Italian food in the ‘90’s (and which still remain largely unknown). Nonetheless, this is worth making, especially as it perfumes your kitchen for a long time afterward.

Serves 4

1 chicken cut into 8 stewing pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

As with the other Turkish tomato paste recipes I’ve been featuring lately this one relies on an austere list of vegetables and long cooking method for its effects.

And as with the other recipes, it benefits from some slight modifications, the greatest of which is the use of stock in place of water.

While most of the world’s great recipes arose out of the need to eat something different while still being limited by poverty, this braise, like many, does not need to be bland, as there are many broth alternatives available, be they bouillon cubes, prepared broths, or frozen homemade stocks.

The use of tomato paste, however, nearly does away with the importance of such stocks, since it not only has a lot of flavor on its own but it seems to enhance the flavors of other ingredients in long-cooked methods like this.

Serves 6-8

2 cans chickpeas
1 can tomato paste
1 pound beef stewing meat Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

This recipe is based on methods from the last two restaurants where I was chef, Aka Bistro in Lincoln, Massachusetts and Mavi Bistro in Hudson, New Hampshire.

It features a simple chickpea puree (hummus) and tomato confit.

As an alternative, marinated tomatoes can be used instead of roasted tomatoes, as a short-cut.

But it’s worth it to take the time to roast the tomatoes, since they provide a sort of meaty texture and flavor that pairs well with the chickpeas.

Makes 4 tarts

• 1 sheet of puff pastry, cut into four four inch squares
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 small can of cooked chickpeas Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

As odd as it sounds to eat raw tomato paste, this recipe asks just that of us.

Even more strange might be the combination of tomato paste with yogurt.

This is another Turkish recipe that, as far as I know, has not made any inroads to American cuisine, which is a shame since it provides a sort of “new” flavor.

Really, you have two sources of sweet and sour flavors in the yogurt and tomato paste, and when paired together they an almost garlic-like quality to them.

This sauce, then, is a perfect alternative to aioli, that famous French mayonnaise featuring garlic. Serve it with fried seafood or as a spread on sandwiches.

Makes about 2 cups

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 clove minced garlic Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

This is really an inspiration of the Turkish shepherd salad that I’ve been serving at my new job at Mavi Bistro in Hudson, New Hampshire.

There really isn’t much of a difference, though the Greeks do seem to like using celery where the Turks do not.

Other than that, both salads are a mixture of chopped vegetables, the most predominant of which is tomato, and both use a simple vinaigrette for the dressing.

As simple as this is to start a meal with, it makes a wonderful lunch entrée when paired with a piece of grilled fish, beef, chicken, or shrimp, as we do at the restaurant.

Serves 2

• 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• ½ red onion, diced Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

This dish is nearly identical to the tomato braised cauliflower, except that it uses both tomato paste and a prepared tomato sauce.

I rarely, if ever, use prepared tomato sauces, and I only do so here out of a loyalty to tradition.

This is a dish the Greeks serve with roast leg of lamb, and it is nearly as ubiquitous in Greek cuisine as spanakopita.

I don’t know the name for this dish in Greek (my father was fluent in Greek, but I never had a desire to learn it), but I am sure there is one that hearkens back to an age-old preparation that the yia-yias (Greek for grandmothers) used to make during special celebrations when a leg of lamb would be served.

It benefits from being cooked in the pan along with the lamb, but this isn’t entirely necessary. If you don’t like lamb, this dish also goes well with roast chicken or beef.

Serves 4

• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small can prepared tomato sauce (pureed—it should be a smooth texture) Read the rest of this entry »