Chicago Restaurant Week begins
CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's that time of year again! Chicago Restaurant Week runs from Jan. 22-Feb. 4.
The culinary celebration features more than 350 restaurants across the city. Participating restaurants offer dining deals including prix fixe menus starting at just $22 for lunch, and $33 and/or $44 for dinner. 54 new restaurants are joining Chicago Restaurant Week this year.
Executive Chef at Sepia, Andrew Zimmerman, joined ABC 7 Eyewitness News to show off some of the food he's offering at his restaurant.
Chicago Restaurant Week
Jan. 22-Feb. 4
Admission/ticket prices: Make online reservations at eatitupchicago.com
LINKS:
RECIPES:
Spice Crusted Whitefish, Potato Masala, Broccoli Raab, Coconut Milk
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the spice crusted whitefish:
4 pc. skin-on white fish filet, each about 5 oz.
1 tbsp. toasted fennel seed
1 tbsp. toasted coriander seed
1 tbsp. toasted cumin seed
1 pc. star anise
2 green cardamom pods
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. butter
Salt
For the potato masala:
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
6 tbsp. red chili yogurt (recipe below)
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. chaat masala
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
For the broccoli raab:
12 trimmed broccoli raab florets with a couple leaves attached, blanched in boiling salted water, shocked in ice water and dried on paper towels
1 small clove garlic, cut in half
2 thin slices of ginger
2 tbsp. butter
For the coconut sauce:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
6 fresh curry leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. minced serrano chili
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tsp. ground turmeric
240 ml. thick coconut milk
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
About a teaspoon of lemon juice
Salt
For the red chili yogurt:
300g. plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. ginger paste (75 g. peeled, chopped ginger pureed with 35 ml. of water and 1 tbsp. vegetable oil)
1 tbsp. garlic paste (75 g. peeled, chopped garlic pureed with 35 ml. of water and 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. red chili paste (100 g. dried Kashmiri or guajillo chilies, simmered in water for 5 minutes and then pureed and strained)
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. garam masala
Mix and store covered in the refrigerator until needed.
Preparation:
To cook the potatoes:
Cook the potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water until tender. Cut the potatoes into roughly 3/4-inch cubes. Put them in a bowl with the red chili yogurt and marinate the potatoes for about 2 hours. Spread the potatoes out in an oven safe pan. Just before serving put the potatoes in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees. Cook about five minutes until hot and lightly colored. Remove from the oven and stir in the butter, cilantro and chaat masala.
For the Coconut sauce:
Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Heat the seeds until they begin to pop. Then add the curry leaves, garlic, ginger and shallot and saute for a few minutes until softened. Add the turmeric and cook a minute more. Add the coconut milk and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer the sauce about ten minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and season with the lemon juice and some salt. Keep warm.
For the Broccoli Raab:
In a small saute pan melt the butter and add the garlic and ginger. Add the broccoli raab and heat it through coating it with the flavored butter. Season with salt and remove the garlic and ginger before serving.
For the fish:
Coarsely grind all the spices and mix them together. Make 3-4 shallow slashes in the skin of the fish. Generously sprinkle the skin side of the fish with the spice mixture and then with some salt.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan and put the fish in the pan skin side down. Cook over medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes or until the fish is 2/3 of the way cooked. Add the butter to the pan and flip the fish over to finish cooking, about 2 minutes more, basting with the butter. When the fish is cooked to your taste remove it from the pan and blot it on paper towels to remove any excess butter.
To plate the dish:
Put a pile of the potatoes in the center of each of four warm dinner plates. Lay some broccoli raab up against the potatoes. Lay a fish filet on top of the potatoes and spoon some of the sauce around.
