LOS ANGELES -- David Tanis has an armchair approach to talking about cooking that allows you to feel as though your best friend were slicing vegetables and chopping herbs right next to you.
Recently, he did just that with me, creating three dishes with what he found at the Hollywood Farmers Market, each emblematic of his simple, reverent style of cooking.
PERSIMMON AND POMEGRANATE SALAD WITH BITTER LETTUCES
"This salad has a nice combination of sweet and bitter, my favorite flavor pairing. The proportions of the salad are whatever you want them to be, so if you like more or less of one fruit or lettuce, do that. You can also use any kind of citrus here; whatever you have on hand. If you don't have lettuce, the fruit is a great salad in and of itself with a few mint leaves added."
Peel three ripe Fuyu persimmons, then cut them in half. Cut each half lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Add them to a large bowl, then cut open two medium pomegranates and pick out the arils, letting them fall over the persimmons. Season the fruit with salt and pepper, then squeeze over the juice of one large Meyer lemon. Drizzle over a few tablespoons of olive oil, then use your hands to toss everything together until the fruit is well-dressed. Pick apart the leaves of one head of Treviso or radicchio and the tender inner leaves of one head of Castelfranco lettuce and add them to the bowl. Drag the leaves through the juices of the fruit and vinaigrette. Taste for more seasoning.
RADISH SALAD WITH LIME AND PARMESAN
"It's nice to make salads out of things you normally wouldn't, like this one that's mostly radishes. If I was going to make this without greens, I'd just spoon over some crème fraîche. Thinly sliced black radishes with crème fraîche and salt are so tasty. Think of a salad that way: some kind of seasoned and dressed plant matter."
Peel and thinly slice two medium radishes, such as watermelon or other sweet varieties, then add them to a large bowl. Season the slices with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from one large lime in strips, then very finely mince the zest. (Alternatively, use a microplane to finely grate the zest from the lime.) Scatter the lime zest evenly over the radishes. Cut the lime in half and squeeze its juice over the slices too. Toss the radishes to evenly coat with the dressing. Add the trimmed leaves from one bunch of mature arugula and toss them with the radishes and dressing until well-coated. Use a vegetable peeler to remove large shavings from a wedge of Parmesan over the top of the salad.
KING OYSTER, WOOD EAR MUSHROOMS WITH CILANTRO PERSILLADE
"The counterplay between the meaty king oyster mushrooms and the thin, crunchy wood ear mushrooms makes it an exciting dish. A simple persillade, traditionally a mix of minced parsley and garlic, is made here with cilantro and livens up the hearty mushrooms. "
Trim any tough or dried bottoms from six large king oyster mushrooms, then use a paring knife or peeler to remove the bottom inch of outer skin from the stems. Cut the king oyster mushrooms into ¼-inch-thick slices.
If using a grill, brush the oyster mushroom slices with olive oil. If using a skillet, heat a thin film of olive oil in the bottom of a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the slices to the skillet (or to a hot grill), season with salt and pepper and cook, flipping halfway, until deep golden brown all over, 2-4 minutes. Transfer the slices to a serving plate and remove the skillet from the heat.
While the mushrooms cook, make the persillade. Rip off two to three sprigs' worth of cilantro leaves and soft stems from a bunch. Place two peeled garlic cloves on the cilantro and mince the two together.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil. Add 1 cup fresh wood ear mushrooms, season with salt and sprinkle over the persillade. Cook, tossing often, just until the mushrooms are hot and the garlic is no longer raw, 30-60 seconds. Top the mushrooms with more cilantro to serve.