By David Harbilas

As much as I love innovation in cooking I sometimes think that all the hype over molecular gastronomy and anything like it is just bullshit.

Old fashioned dishes like oysters Rockefeller have survived mostly because they appeal to our senses on a basic level; much of molecular gastronomy is meant to make us think, and as wonderful as it may be to involve our brains in the dining process it is ultimately our senses that are engaged.

This is a dish that engages the senses and makes use of simple techniques which can be duplicated at home.

Serves 2-3

• 4-6 oysters, shucked
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tomatoes Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

This dish is all about austerity and the ingredients, which is kind of a shame because while oysters seem to be very much of the moment in the cold months tomatoes are, clearly, not about winter.

Yet citrus, oddly enough, is a winter fruit, and what better way to off-set the acid of citrus than with the sweetness of tomatoes?

The entire dish is raw, save the cured tomatoes, which are little more than seasoned tomato filets. Yet the combination of cool, spicy, and sweet is unforgettable.

Serves 2-3

4-6 oysters, shucked, left in shell
2 plum tomatoes
1 moro orange, or some other variety (such as navel), cut into segments Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

This dish can be done a number of ways with similar effects.

Rather than making an actual remoulade with the tomatoes folded into the sauce, one could simply lay slices of slowly roasted tomato confit on the sandwich.

Even slices of very ripe, lightly seasoned raw tomato can be used, provided they are very fresh and ripe.

Personally, I like using the confit as part of the sauce, as it really melds with the other ingredients to create something unique.

Makes two sandwiches

• 2 filets of cod, about 6 ounces each
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup cornmeal Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Calamari is such an easy, ubiquitous appetizer that it’s a wonder you don’t see it more on restaurant menus.

It also solves the problem of finding sustainable seafood, as squid are prolific, aggressive predators.

Most Italian eateries serve it with marinara and cherry peppers, and this is an obvious variation of that classic.

Finding the freshest ingredients is of the greatest importance, as they will make or break the dish. Mint is often used to cool the heat of the chiles in a dish like this, and here I opt for basil, which is in the mint family and goes well with the tomatoes.

Serves 4

• 1 pound calamari, cut into rings and tentacles separated from the bodies
• ½ cup cornmeal
• ½ cup flour Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Homemade steak sauces are an odd thing–not many people make them, but if they knew just how easy they were to make they would stop buying the stuff out of the bottle.

The easiest way to make a “homemade” steak sauce is to take one out of the bottle and doctor it with some additional ingredients like roasted garlic, peppers, or tomatoes.

The slightly more labor intensive method might involve reading the label and trying to approximate the real thing.

Seeing that the proportions of those recipes are a guarded secret it might in fact be easier to come up with one’s own version.

That might seem even more daunting than imitating the real thing, but it’s a lot of fun to play around with and not nearly as hard as one might think. The key is to identify the major flavor components, like salty, sour, sweet, and bitter. (I refrain from mentioning umami, since it’s a relatively new and complicated notion to cooking).

Most steak sauces have a good deal of salty, sweet, and slightly sour flavors in them, and if one looks at some labels it’s obvious where that set of flavors come from. Worcestershire, vinegar, and, oddly enough, raisins are some of the major contributors, not to mention tomatoes. This version makes a little use of all those items, plus a few more.

Makes about 4 cups

• 2 tomatoes
• 3 shallots
• 1 head of garlic Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Tomatoes and oranges are not a typical pairing, but when handled correctly they can make a sublime sauce.

If you’ve read any of my entries here you know that I love to roast tomatoes, and this sauce is meant for them.

In fact, it can be made with nothing more than the two ingredients listed in the title of the dish, and with great results. (Most recipes are made of only a few star ingredients, plus a few “flavorings”).

The real key is long, slow cooking, which not only thickens the sauce but concentrates the flavors and caramelizes the natural sugars.

Serves 2-4

• 1 duck, trussed and seasoned
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 cups orange juice Read the rest of this entry »