four27

enjoy!

nothing better than a nice bottle of wine to twist open at the end of the day.

we’ve been pretty consistent with keeping these four reds in our wine fridge downstairs.

(from left to right)

pinot noir - la forge estates.  this is an amazing $11 french pinot noir.  the cool wine chick at haskell’s in highland park introduced me to it.  it’s my go to weeknight wine w/ my veggie burger.

cabernet sauvignon - casas del bosque.  chile has been rocking the wine world the past few years and this $12 cab is superb!  i met a casas del bosque rep at northeast social.   after the private wine tasting, i was sold. 

grenache - yalumba bush vine.  this is the “date night house red.”   every tuesday, we look forward to sipping this smoothly balanced treat.  it’s only $17 a bottle.  get one and share it with friends, they’ll be so impressed.

le cigare volant - bonny doon.  heaven.  yep, it is.  le cigare volant is a mixture of several reds with grenache flavors slightly predominant.   this bottle is the once a month treat.  we would love to savor it more often, but it’s $36 a bottle, but well worth it! 

enjoy!

if you’re wondering what to do with your thanksgiving leftovers - you must whip up the turkey and spinach curry.  

and i must say, this spicy dish was better than the traditional american thanksgiving fare we all ate on thursday.

it only takes about 30 minutes to create - start to finish.  pull out your dutch oven (or medium saucepan) and let’s get started.

pretty basic pantry items - except for maybe the coconut milk.  you can find that in the asian aisle of the grocery store.

heat the peanut oil on medium-high and cook the onions, garlic + ginger until they begin to soften.  

(it only calls for 1 tablespoon of ginger - i used about 2 tablespoons.  i’m a big ginger fan and the extra didn’t overpower the flavor).

add the spices: cumin, coriander, cayenne + turmeric.

stir together until the spices are fragrant - about one minute.

add the tomatoes and their juices.  

(i used canned diced tomatoes for ease and that worked out just fine).

add the coconut milk.  heads up - be sure to shake the can for the coconut milks consistency.

simmer for 8 - 10 minutes.

add the spinach + turkey to the pan and continue to cook until the spinach slightly wilts and is warmed through.

serve it up in a bowl with rice.  as the dish was spicy, cocktails paired much better than wine.

with only 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of chopped tomatoes, there isn’t a lot of extra sauce.  

we prefer a more saucy curry entrée, so next time i’ll use the entire can of coconut milk and 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped tomatoes.  (be sure to add more spices to taste with the extra milk + tomato additions).

enjoy!

winter equals soup.  a nice warm comfort food during the seasonal change to chilly weather.

a friend recommend the butternut squash + sage soup with sage breadcrumbs.  very simple to make.  you’ve gotta try this.

pretty basic ingredients you probably have in your pantry.  butternut squash, onions, chicken broth, EVOO, butter, garlic, italian parsley and sage.

start with chopping the squash into 1/2” cubes.

meanwhile, melt the butter in a large stockpot (or dutch oven).  add the onion, sage and parsley.

sauté until softened.

add the squash and sea salt.  sauté until the squash is golden brown.

add the garlic and chicken broth.  bring to a boil. 

then reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is very soft - approx. 25 minutes.

next is the tricky part.  puree the soup in batches.

don’t do what we did and puree the soup on the spot.  WAIT until the soup has cooled.  otherwise hot everything’s will spew out your blender and get all over the kitchen.  (oops, guilty.)

once pureed, return the soup to the pot and give it a good stir.  done.  easy peasy.

enjoy!

(to be honest, we didn’t get to making the sage breadcrumbs. I’m sure they’re delish - this is a bon appétit recipe and all.)

you’ll hear me reference to the best homemade baby food on the planet several times when talking about cooking for the twins.

this book rocks!  it showcases wholesome, nutritious and incredibly easy recipes.

this weekend the duo was able to dive into the homemade applesauce.

core the apple and then cut it into quarters.

i used an organic fuji apple.  gala or red delicious are also fantastic - nice and sweet for the babes.  

place apples skin side up on a plate and microwave on high for 3 - 4 minutes.

let the apples cool.  peel them and place in the food processor (or blender).

i peeled the apple, like a fishmonger skins a fish (so simple).

blend to your little one’s desired consistency.

put it in a bowl and serve it up.  

enjoy!  

this is one of my dream meals.  simplicity at its finest.

i love scallops and i am a basil geek.  sautéed scallops stuffed with basil is a little slice of heaven.

and it couldn’t be easier, thank you mark bittman.  

mince the basil, garlic salt + pepper.  cut the scallop horizontally - but NOT all the way through.  spread the basil mixture inside the scallops.

sauté the scallops 1 - 2 minutes per side.

on to the fennel and celery salad.  another classic bittman.  thinly slice a fennel bulb + celery.  mix it with EVOO, lemon juice salt + pepper.  

what else for an effortless delish dinner?  caprese salad!  

so there you have it.  three simple elements, a bottle of white and a cool cat to chat with all night long.  perfect date night.

enjoy!

the big question of date night was - what should we do with the butternut squash?

we’ve had a butternut squash for a few weeks now (by the way…they’re good for 3 months) and we wanted to try something new.

butternut squash + vanilla risotto and roasted caramelized butternut squash here we come.

i found three theme’s with the squash: #1 soup (did that…post coming soon), #2 risotto and #3 roasted.  might as well do both #2 and #3.

the butternut squash + vanilla risotto sounded intriguing.  vanilla risotto…hmmm.

for the risotto, start with cubing the squash.  i cubed it smaller than the 1” called out in the recipe (so it would take less time to cook)

heat the vegetable broth on medium-high.  scrape out the vanilla bean seeds and add them (and the bean) to the broth.

add the butternut squash to the simmering broth and cook for 15 - 20 minutes.  (the recipe says 5 minutes - no way.  squash needs longer to cook).

when the squash is done, use a slotted spoon and remove the butternut squash to a side dish.  i lightly seasoned it with cinnamon and sea salt.

in the meantime…add the butter to the large saucepan and saute the onions for a few minutes.  when the onions have softened, add the arborio rice - stirring and coating it in butter.

next up, add the white wine (we just used a sauvignon blanc) and simmer until the wine has almost evaporated.

the next 20 minutes is just the down and dirty making risotto.  

it’s all about the adding 1/2 cup broth at a time and stirring until it’s almost completely absorbed.   then just continuing to cook the rice, adding the broth until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy.

when the risotto is done, turn off the heat and add the butternut squash, parmesan, butter and salt + pepper to your taste.

risotto - done.  next up, roasted caramelized squash.  

cube the squash and toss it with EVOO, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt and ground pepper.

pop it in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.  (we dig ours a smidge on the crunchy side.) 

ah…a protein with dinner.  we often roast salmon fillets.  to pack fillets with crazy flavor - make slits in the top of the fillets, sprinkle on sea salt + ground pepper and stuffed them with herbs of your choice.  we dig rosemary, thyme and tarragon.  then squeeze a half a lemon on top.

pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes.

the butternut squash + vanilla risotto was scrumptious!  the vanilla risotto wasn’t sweet because you don’t use sugar.

and the caramelized squash?  with the cinnamon and nutmeg added…the warm fuzzy feelings of holidays started dancing in our heads.

one squash prepared two ways tasted completely different - yet both were delish!  it was an even tie of tastiness.

enjoy!

masu sushi and robata opened back in april and i finally made it there a few weeks ago.

james beard award-winning chef tim mc kee was involved in creating the menu, so i was intrigued to see  the result.

the menu consisted of appetizers (izakaya), sushi, grilled items (robata) and noodles.

but i’ll be honest, a good friend and i connected up just for happy hour - and missed the true masu sushi and robata experience. 

(i’ll get back to you on that.)

tim mc kee pulled in his la belle vie mixologist johnny michaels to create the cocktail list.  and it was intense.  there were gummi shoshu sour’s every way we looked.

the dinnerware and table settings was really beautiful.  you got the impression it was all hand-made for this restaurant. 

we split the dynamite roll (tuna + albacore tuna with avocado and chili sauce) and firecracker roll (shrimp tempura, crab, avocado, cucumber with spicy tuna + tempura flakes).      

i preferred the dynamite roll because i’m just not a fan of tempura.  the fried texture + taste are just so odd for my sashimi lovin’ self.

but the firecracker roll did live up to its name.

the cheery restaurant vibe included panchinko machines lining the back wall by the bar.

masu transformed an old cookware store in NE into a building that has come alive again.  

my masu happy hour was a peek into the restaurant.  a teaser if you will.  if you’re looking for $3 sake, $4 beer or $5 wine - this happy hour is for you.

if you want the true masu sushi and robata adventure?  skip happy hour.  i know i’ve gotta come back one day for the much talked about robata and noodle soups.

masu sushi and robata is located at 330 east hennepin avenue in minneapolis. hours are monday-thursday 11am-12am, friday 11am-1am, saturday 4pm-1am and sunday 4pm-11pm.

enjoy!

(top photo courtesy of blogs.citypages.com)