Restaurant (Re)creation: Nopa's Baked Butter Beans with Oregano, Breadcrumbs + Feta

Oh Nopa, how I love thee.  Leave it to Nopa to create the perfect comfort dish to warm you on these frigid San Francisco evenings (yes, we are still in California, but its seriously cold!)  Rather than using dried beans and soaking them, I decided to streamline the chef's recipe and use canned butter beans.  Please don't judge me for this substitution, but soaking dried beans just isn't in my weekday timeline.  I also decided to use fire roasted crushed tomatoes and basil pesto instead of cilantro pesto.  Anyhow, it all worked out great and my carnivorous husband devoured it with no complaints!  I mean, how can you not love baked beans, tomatoes, feta, breadcrumbs & pesto?  It's the culinary equivalent to a fireplace, cashmere blanket, and a good book.  You just can't put your fork down!

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 14 oz can of butter beans
• 1 14 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

-Drain and rinse the butter beans and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

-In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

-Add the garlic and onion and cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes, or until softened.

-Add the tomatoes, oregano, and water and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes.

-Mix the butter beans and tomato sauce in a baking dish and sprinkle with feta.

-Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until cheese begin to bubble.

-Remove the dish from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.

-Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a small skillet and add the bread crumbs.

-Cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

-Top the beans with a dollop of pesto and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

~Enjoy~

Nopa

560 Divisadero St.

(415) 864-8643

nopasf.com

Restaurant (Re)creation: Delfina's Spicy Cauliflower

This dish is a favorite at Pizzeria Delfina.  Its unique, spicy, crunchy and satisfying.  I actually found the real recipe from an SFGate article online (which is totally delicious as is), but I decided to do a somewhat "lighter" version.  I used all the same ingredients as Delfina's version, but I omitted the Calabrese peppers and I roasted the cauliflower first to minimize "frying" time.  This may go against the goal of most of my (re)creations since it adds time to the preparation, but I would rather add minutes to the cook time than inches to the waistline!  (I mean seriously, if a girl is going to eat like this most nights, she needs to make a few tweaks here and there to keep her pants fitting ; ).  So, I roasted the cauliflower (rather than deep frying it) and then just finished it off on the stovetop.  It tastes almost exactly the same as the restaurant version and only takes a little more time.  Try the recipe either way- both are perfectly delicious and flavorful.

Serves 4 (as a side)

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
1/4 cup drained capers, dried
2 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly (lengthwise)
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Separate the cauliflower into large uniformly-sized florets.

Place the cauliflower in an oven and stove-top safe pan and douse in olive oil and salt.  Mix the cauliflower around so that the salt and olive oil are evenly distributed.

Roast the cauliflower for 25-30 minutes or until it starts to soften and brown.

Once the cauliflower starts to brown, remove it from the oven and place it on the stovetop on medium heat.  Cook for 5-7 minutes.

Add a little more oil (as needed) and the capers, garlic, and breadcrumbs.  Cook for 1-2 more minutes, adding the chili flakes at the end.

Remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy!


Pizzeria Delfina (Mission)
3611 18th Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 437-6800

Pizzeria Delfina (Pacific Heights)
2406 California Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 440-1189
www.delfinasf.com

Restaurant (Re)creation: Delarosa's Spicy Meatballs

~From top: close-up of a pretty little meatball, 

meatballs simmering in the spicy tomato sauce, the finished (re)creation~

She asks and she shall receive. I had multiple requests to sleuth out the secret to this popular dish and I'm so happy I did. This recipe is straight from chef Ruggero Gadaldi himself after I sent him a recipe request, realizing it was probably a shot in the dark.  Not only did he provide the recipe, but he even followed up with details about the spices used in his signature tomato sauce.  Now that is impressive customer service! It also allowed for a seamless (re)creation.  The meatballs turned out tender and moist and the sauce had a great kick. I ended up halving the recipe when I made it and it turned about beautifully.  It can easily be halved or multiplied depending on the number of stomachs you are feeding.  Don't forget to serve the meatballs with grilled ciabatta- its perfect for soaking up that delicious spicy tomato sauce. You may even be tempted to lick the plate.

Serves 6-8 (about 20 meatballs)

Ingredients:

For Meatballs:

1 lb ground veal

1 lb raw sweet italian sausage (casings removed)

2 cups bread crumbs (I used panko bread crumbs, also available in a gluten free version)

3/4 cups milk (whole or low fat)

4 cloves chopped garlic

1/2 bunch finely chopped fresh italian parsley

3 egg whites

1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese

2 tbsp tomato paste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Spicy Tomato Sauce:

2 jars of marinara sauce (24 oz each)

1-2 tsp chili flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)

Chopped parsley

Optional: Grilled Ciabatta (for dipping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Let rest for 10 minutes in the refrigerator before shaping into balls.  

Before creating balls, put a little bit of olive oil on your hands to minimize sticking.  

Spoon out mixture and create meatballs that are approximately 1 1/2-inch balls.  

Place meatballs on a greased sheet pan and cook in the oven for 30 minutes (inside temp should be 155 F when done).

Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce and chili flakes in a medium/large saucepan.  

Place meatballs in the spicy tomato sauce and simmer for 7-10 minutes.  

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with slices of grilled ciabatta.

Enjoy!

Delarosa
2175 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 673-7100
www.delarosasf.com