Think of this as a sort of hot caprese salad —by cooking the tomatoes in a foil packet on the barbecue with their vines, aromatic herbs, oil, and salt, the flavors concentrate and intensify. They work beautifully with the mozzarella, as you would expect, with added interest from the crushed coriander seeds —simple yet luxurious
It’s all right there for you in the title. Sweet shrimp is sautéed until just cooked through, and fregola (a tiny toasted pasta from Sardinia) is added to the pot to toast in the melted anchovy butter and spices with some cherry tomatoes. I love Calabrian chiles packed in oil and use them here for some punchy heat, but if red pepper flakes are within closer reach feel free to use them instead. Once the fregola finishes cooking, return the shrimp to the pot to warm them through and serve straight from the pan. Serve with many bottles of chilled red wine.
Shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrated Italian chef Massimo Bottura launched a fantastic daily cooking show on Instagram. One of his ideas? Cook something today and use the leftovers in another dish tomorrow. This pasta with tomato and tuna sauce serves two, with enough to also make my Pasta al Forno.
If you make this dish in tomato season, when colorful heirlooms are in markets everywhere just waiting to become dinner, you won’t really be surprised by its juicy profundity of flavors—a gorgeous mix of sweet, salty, pungent, and umami, all baked until golden and bubbling on top. But what’s so especially appealing about this dish is that it’s also amazing when made with, meh, out-of-season tomatoes, those hydroponic specimens that you buy because, well, waiting until July seems impossible. In both cases, the garlicky, lemony bread crumbs, anchovy oil, and Parmesan will work their magic, seasoning the vegetables while they roast. Serve this as a side dish, or make it the star of a light meal, with some crusty bread to mop up all those luscious, tangy juices.
We have been serving our soba salad since we opened CIBI in 2008. When I created this dish, I wanted to add a touch of western flavor so that it became a cafe-like dish as well as a CIBI dish. Many of our regulars come in just for this salad. This is a simpler version that you can cook at home anytime. All you really need in your cupboard is soba noodles, soy sauce and lemon!
This is a staple in the Vincent–Derham household. John would like to dedicate it to Natasha and Eleanor. Just because.
Fresh Pacific halibut is a seasonal splurge. It needs very little to enhance its flavor—in fact, it’s almost a sin to fuss too much with it. I like to prepare it simply: pan-seared until golden and crisp with a quick sauté of sweet, garlicky cherry tomatoes on the side. Depending on how long you cook the tomatoes, they can be firm and fresh or soft and jammy. I usually aim for somewhere right in between, but they’re delicious either way.
Buy fresh organic cherry tomatoes if possible and feel free to use the golden or orange varieties; they taste slightly different (sweeter, less acidic) and add color and excitement. Stay away from the pear or grape versions. These are meant to show off their unusual shapes and are best enjoyed raw.
When I was in Barcelona I visited a classic churrería, which felt like the local spot to gather—a bit like the local café where you would grab a cup of tea and catch up with the latest gossip. It was cheap and cheerful, and they made sinfully good churros, served with rich hot chocolate so thick that you could stand them up in it. Although they are traditionally a breakfast food, if you switch an ingredient or two they make a great savory dish.
A combination of salty, buttery, crispy, carb-y goodness, with the umami hit of the tomatoes.