squashing nopa

went to nopa this past week, literally. dipped into a few gems. we had reservations at nopa (the restaurant) and grabbed a drink at bar crudo before. i’m a little upset that I didn’t know about the happy hour at bar crudo until now. the beer is $4,the wine $3 (they do not pour lightly), and the oysters are $1 each. we stood at a little table behind the bar and watched the gorgeous seafood pass by. bright pink shrimp, pearly oysters over ice, dark squid, pure white fish – lined up along the bar like a sushi restaurant.

after drinks we moseyed over to nopa where we were seated above the reclaimed wood tables and bar. the food was insane. vegetarian friendly, not overpriced, crunchy fried fresh, and damn delicious. beer selection was pretty fun too..

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diy warm goat cheese crostini with asian pears and pickled persimmon. whaA. that bread was warm and basically fried. perfection.

wood baked butter beans with feta, oregano pesto, and crispy bread crumbs. must be recreated – for thanksgiving?

dessert: sopaipillas with burnt orange caramel. holy cow. these were like the most deliciously fluffy doughnuts i’ve ever had. to eat: bite a hole, pour syrup. they were as shocking as this.

guess it’s kind of that rich food season, huh? do you find yourself craving heavy foods all the time? because i can’t stop…

shoot.

butternut squash and bean burritos adapted from how sweet it is

4 cups butternut squash, diced

1 white onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 tablespoons sage or chicken seasoning (i used half and half because i only had a bit of sage)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne

1 cup garbanzo beans

1 tablespoon browned butter – put 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium heat and cook until top begins to brown

1 1/2 cups tj’s light mexican shredded cheese

salt and pepper to taste (i used about 1/2 teaspoon each)

corn tortillas

1. heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and heat the olive oil.

2. add the onions, garlic, and sage/seasoning – cook for 2-5 minutes.

3. add the squash, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne – cook for about 20 minutes, until squash is soft.

4. add the garbanzo beans – cook another 10 minutes.

5. top with cheese and browned butter.

6. i guiltily ate (all of) this without a tortilla, eyes darting from side to side. do yourself a favor and make a burrito/taco out of it.

Tags: appetizer, asian, baked, bar, bar crudo, bean, beans, bread crumb, bread crumbs, brown, browned, burnt, burrito, butter, butternut, caramel, cayenne, cheese, city, crostini, crudo, dessert, dinner, drink, drinks, feta, garbanzo, goat, goat cheese, happy hour, nopa, nopasf, nutmeg, orange, pear, persimmon, pickled, sage, san francisco, sf, sopaipillas, squash, taco, tortilla