Identita New York 2014: 5 Gourmet Recipes From The World's Best Chefs

Recipe courtesy of Chef Michael Anthony Yield: 4 servings 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed 3 scallions (white and pale green parts), roughly chopped 1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced 2 stars anise 1⁄4 teaspoon fennel seeds 1⁄4 teaspoon peppercorns 1 medium red beet, peeled and thinly sliced 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage Sugar, to taste Salt, to taste 3 cups Dashi (see recipe below) 1 bay leaf 2 garlic cloves, smashed 4 sprigs thyme 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Freshly ground black pepper 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets 1⁄4 pound slab bacon, diced 12 radishes of varied shapes and colors, quartered, plus 2 radishes, thinly sliced, for garnish 1 cup small Swiss chard leaves Sea salt, to taste In a medium saucepan, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the scallions, ginger, 1 star of anise, fennel seeds and peppercorns and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add the sliced beet and cabbage and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add a pinch each of sugar and salt, stir in the dashi and bring to a simmer. Gently simmer, covered, for an hour. Remove the beet dashi from the heat and add the bay leaf, 1 garlic clove, 2 thyme sprigs and the remaining star of anise. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Pass the beet dashi through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a small saucepan. Stir in the vinegar and season with sugar, salt and pepper. Keep hot over low heat. Add the 4 cups of olive oil, or enough to cover the fish by 1 inch, to a deep skillet just large enough to hold the fish. Gently infuse the olive oil with flavors of the remaining garlic clove and 2 thyme sprigs by heating them in the olive oil over medium heat until it reaches 140°F. Season the fish with salt and pepper and gently place in the oil. Poach the fish until just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes, maintaining the temperature of the oil. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Pour off the fat. While the bacon cooks, blanch the quartered radishes in a small saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and add to the pan with the bacon. Fold in the Swiss chard and cook over medium heat until it just wilts. Season with salt, if needed. With a spatula, transfer the poached fish to a paper towel–lined plate and pat dry. Sprinkle with sea salt and then put each fillet in a shallow bowl. Spoon the radish mixture next to the fillets, pour in the beet dashi and top with the sliced radishes. Basic Dashi 2 quarts water 4-inch piece kombu 1⁄2 cup Bonito flakes Place the kombu in 1 quart cold water for thirty minutes to rinse, then strain. Place the kombu in a small saucepan and cover it with 1 quart cold water. Over medium-low heat, bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the kombu steep for 30 minutes. Turn the heat back on and bring to almost a simmer. Add the bonito flakes, but do not stir, and allow the dashi to sit for 10 minutes before straining, reserving the broth.