Baked Chicago

Eat It Up, Chicago Raffle benefitting the Greater Chicago Food Depository

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Top Chef Stephanie Izard to Host First Bites Bash, the Official Kick-Off for Chicago Restaurant Week

 

Kick-off the 5th annual Chicago Restaurant Week and a celebration of Chicago’s epicurean excellence at First Bites Bash, presented by United Airlines!

Stephanie Izard, Chicago restaurateur and winner of Top Chef’s Season 4 will host the highly-anticipated event, and 100... percent of net proceeds generated by ticket sales will benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Sweet and savory tastings from more than 50 of Chicago’s most celebrated restaurants and chefs will be featured. Tickets are available for purchase at www.firstbitesbash.com.

Berghoff’s Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp over Blue Moon Roasted Red Pepper Polenta Recipe

Over a Blue Moon Roasted Red Pepper Polenta and served with Blue Moon BBQ Sauce

This Blue Moon-inspired appetizer is featured on the Berghoff Restaurant’s dinner prix fixe menu for Chicago Restaurant Week 2011. 

Serves 12

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 12 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined  
• 6 bacon strips 
• 12 toothpicks 

Directions:

Rinse shrimp, remove tails and pat dry. Slice each strip of bacon in half, making 12 strips. Wrap one bacon strip around each shrimp. Skewer each wrapped piece with a toothpick to secure. Grill over medium heat until cooked through (approximately 10 minutes).

Blue Moon Roasted Red Pepper Polenta

Ingredients:

• 4 cups onion soup
• 2 bottles Blue Moon (reduces to half)
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 cup roasted red peppers, diced
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Directions:

Bring onion soup and Blue Moon to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly add cornmeal, stirring constantly. Cook on low heat 15-20 minutes or until mixture begins to pull away from sides of pan, stirring frequently.

Fold in all other ingredients (red peppers, cheeses, parsley, butter and heavy cream), stirring frequently, until cheeses are melted and blended.

Let cool in pan or transfer to a large baking sheet to cut into squares or rounds (using cookie cutter).

Blue Moon BBQ Sauce

 

Ingredients:

• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped
• 3 bottles Blue Moon (reduces to half)
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 cup ketchup
• ¼ tsp allspice
• ½ tsp ginger, chopped
• 1 pcs clove
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• ¼ Berghoff Intelligentsia Coffee Beans, grounded
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup of your favorite traditional BBQ sauce

Directions:

In a large saucepan, lightly sauté garlic and cinnamon in oil. Add the Blue Moon and reduce to half. Stir in vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, allspice, ginger, cloves, pepper, cilantro, lime juice and coffee grounds. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in honey and prepared BBQ sauce and simmer until thickened.

Add barbecue mixture to a blender and puree. Pour into a jar or bottle and let cool. Store in refrigerator between uses.

TO SERVE:

1. Prepare BBQ sauce
2. Prepare polenta
3. Prepare shrimp
4. Spoon the polenta (from pan) or place cut round/square (from baking sheet) onto each dish
5.  Top with bacon-wrapped shrimp
6. Drizzle barbecue sauce over top or place a dollop on the side
7. Serve

The Gage's Pumpkin Gnocchi Recipe

This recipe was featured in a recent e-newsletter from The Gage Restaurant on Michigan Avenue.  If you were lucky enough to go to the Hamburger Hop during the opening night of Chicago Gourmet, you may have gotten a chance to taste Chef Dirk Flanigan's great cuisine firsthand.  His burgers were my favorite of the night (he's seen below with Mayor Daley at Chicago Gourmet). 

 

• 2 large potatoes, baked until over done
• 2 mini pumpkins
• 2 eggs
• 1 yolk
• 2 cups cake flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese

  
Roast pumpkins whole, while you are cooking the potatoes, until you can pierce through with ease. Remove potatoes and pumpkins from oven and cut in half to let the steam escape. Remove seeds from pumpkin, spoon the pumpkin meat and meat of the potato into a food mill. Pass into a large bowl.

Mix pumpkin and potato and add all ingredients. Mix together until combined. Roll into snakes, cut into 1/2inch pieces and toss into salted boiling water. When they float, cook for another minute and remove from water. Toss in browned butter and fresh torn basil, Parmesan and salt and pepper. 

Pan Seared Tilapia with Golden Raisins Recipe

  

Recipe Courtesy of  Parrot Cage

 

1 tilapia Fillet, 8 oz.

1 oz tomatoes, Peeled, seeded and diced ¼ “ x ¼”

1 oz Capers, drained

2 oz Brown Butter (Made to order)

1 oz Golden Raisins

Dash Lemon Juice 

 

Sear the fillet in a hot skillet in 2 TBS of Olive Oil until golden brown on one side only and hold in a 200 degree F oven while you finish the sauce.

 

Place the butter in a clean skillet and let it cook until light golden brown.  Add the Tomatoes, Capers and Golden Raisins.

 

Just before plating add a splash of lemon juice to finish the sauce and pour over the cooked fillet.  Serve with Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Saute Spinach. 

 

Shrimp Mikrolimano Recipe

   
  

Recipe Courtesy of Pegasus Restaurant Ingredients · 1-1 ½ lbs peeled and deveined medium shrimp · ¼ cup butter · 1 tablespoon garlic; minced · 8 oz crumbled Feta cheese · 2 tablespoons olive oil; virgin · 1 tablespoon chopped white onion · salt (pinch or to taste) · black pepper (pinch) · oregano (pinch) · fresh basil (chopped) · 4 oz. white wine · 2 large fresh tomatoes

 

Directions   Sauce: In a saucepan, pour in olive oil over high heat. Add garlic, onions tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook sauce for about 8-10 minutes or until mixture is boiling (tomatoes should be soft and stew-like). Reduce heat to low and let simmer.     In a separate skillet, melt butter over high heat. Once butter melts, add shrimp and saute until lightly browned (about 2-3 minutes or until shrimp are no longer translucent). Add white wine. Add sauce mixture to shrimp and cook another 2-3 minutes. Finally add Feta cheese and cook another 30 seconds or so (until feta has softened).     Plate the shrimp dish and garnish with freshly chopped basil. Serve and enjoy!!!

Guacamole de Mango Recipe

 

Guacamole de Mango Recipe Courtesy of  Mercadito Ingredients · 4 avocados split, pit removed, and flesh removed from skin · 1/2 cup diced onions · 3/4 cup diced tomatoes · 3/4 tablespoon minced serrano chile · 1/2 cup minced cilantro · 1 tablespoon lemon juice · 1/4 cup diced mango · 1/4 cup diced jicama · 1 tablespoon chipotle puree · Salt to taste

 

Directions Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mash ingredients well until desired consistency. Serve with crispy tortilla chips

Ravioli di Piccolo Sogno Recipe

 
Recipe courtesy of Piccolo Sogno, featured at http://www.eatitupchicago.com for Chicago Restaurant Week. 

Filling:

1 cup Fresh ricotta cheese

1/8 cup freshly grated Reggiano Parmesan

1/8 cup Laurel Chenel Goat Cheese

1/8 cup chopped gorgonzola dolce latte cheese

1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley

Sicilian sea salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

 

Pasta Dough:

4 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Sicilian Sea Salt

2 & ¾ cups Semolina Flour

1 & ¼ cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons water

 

Sauce:

½ cup fresh chicken broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 table spoon toasted pine nuts

Sicilian sea salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

 

*Marsala Glaze-1 cup marsala wine cooked down by ¾ until it is thick, you can use a corn starch slurry to thicken.

*Shavings of Reggiano Parmesan- using a potato peeler lightly shave off curls of cheese from a solid piece for the garnish 

 

Directions

 

Filling:

Mix all ingredients together and adjust the seasoning

 

Pasta Dough:

In a food processor, add all ingredients, Pulse until a ball forms and then take out and knead by hand until dough is slightly firm or (Method 2) In a large bowl add all dry ingredients into center of the bowl. Make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the remaining ingredients. With a fork beat the liquid until smooth, slowly touching the sides incorporating the dry ingredients. Keep mixing until a ball is formed. Take the ball out and then kneed by hand until the dough is slightly firm (Texture should be slightly firmer than your ear lobe.) You may need to adjust the water amount due to the humidity in the air.

 

After the dough has rested, roll out the pasta dough progressively with a pasta machine until the dough is thin enough that you can see your hand through it. Brush the dough with egg yolk and add the filling on half of the dough with a spoon (the size of a quarter) With the other half of the dough, place over the side with the filling so that you form ravioli. With a small shot glass form the center of the ravioli and press all the air out. Cut with a circle cutter so there is a small edge around the center. Press the sides gently pushing the air out and set aside. Cook in boiling salted water about 2 minutes and then toss into the sauce.

 

For the sauce:

In a sauce pan, reduce the chicken broth down by half. Add the butter and bring to a boil then take the sauce off the heat. Stir Quickly so the sauce does not break. Add the cooked ravioli and toasted pine nuts. Adjust the seasoning and serve. Arrange the ravioli on the plate(about 6 pieces) like a flower overlapping only on one side. When you get the sixth ravioli slip it under the first. Drizzle the sauce and pine nuts over the ravioli adding a little extra sauce. Garnish with the Marsala glaze (using a squirt bottle, make sure the glaze is warm not hot, drizzle the ravioli’s like it was a zigzag line). Add the shavings of parmesan cheese over the ravioli and serve immediately.

White Chocolate Mousse Recipe from Chicago's The Berghoff Restaurant

White Chocolate Mousse Recipe Courtesy of  Berghoff, The  - featured signature dish from Chicago Restaurant Week 2010 (www.eatitupchicago.com) Ingredients - 5 cups heavy cream - 1 ½ pound white chocolate, broken into small pieces - Raspberry purée, for garnish - Fresh raspberries, for garnish - Dark chocolate shavings, for garnish

Directions In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 cup of heavy cream to a boil; stir in white chocolate and continue to stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer at high speed, beat the remaining 4 cups of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the white chocolate mixture to the whipped cream and continue to beat until stiff. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Using a pastry bag with an open star tip, pipe 1-plus cup of mousse into each champagne glass. (Any style dessert bowl may be used for serving, including a large bowl for a buffet table.) Drizzle with raspberry purée, and garnish with fresh raspberries or, sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings. This mixture may also be used to accompany other desserts, including slices of chocolate cake, pie, pudding, etc.

Kobe Beef Meat Loaf Recipe - courtesy of Tavern on Rush

 

2 lbs ground kobe beef 1 cup Panko bread crumbs 1 tbl. Dry oregano 1 tbls olive oil 1 cup celery, chopped – medium dice 1 cup onion, chopped – medium dice 10 leaves fresh basil – chiffonade 1 ½ cup prepared tomato sauce (any store bought brand or homemade) 3 eggs Salt and Pepper to taste Optional County Gravy Recipe: 3 tbls pan drippings from the meatloaf ½ cup finely chopped onion 2 tbls all purpose flour 1 tbls butter 1 (28oz) can of chicken stock (store bought or homemade)  Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sautee celery and onions in olive oil over moderate heat until translucent. Remove from heat and set aside to cool in the refrigerator. With all ingredients cold, in a large mixing bowl mix together kobe beef, celery, onion, fresh basil, oregano, bread crumbs, tomato sauce, salt, pepper and eggs. Do not over mix. Once combine, form mixture into a ‘free form’ loaf and place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake loaf for approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees. Slice immediately and serve. One of 30+ signature dishes featured during Chicago Restaurant Week at http://www.eatitupchicago.com