A Perfect Valentines Day Dinner
Posted on 20. Jan, 2010 by Justine in Articles, Lifestyle, Recipes
Valentines Day is one of my favourite cooking holidays. It’s a chance to make pink, red, sweet, and kitschy things, but it’s also a chance to create a perfect romantic dinner. I have been to and hosted some very “memorable” Valentines Day parties and dinners in the past and remembering these made me ponder the question of what constitutes a really perfect Valentines Day.
When it comes to food, Valentines Day really is a chance to get creative. I remember a Valentines Day party my sister and I threw in my tiny studio apartment many eons ago. We were young and poor and had only basic cooking knowledge. We decided to serve all pink food and to fill the space with pink balloons and crepe paper. I’m pretty sure we cut out some hearts and used a lot of paper-lace doyleys. I remember listening to rock band Kiss and realizing that I only had one chair much too late. But we had a lot of fun with about 20 of us standing around eating pink food and drinking pink “champagne”. I can’t really remember the food except my mom’s macaroni salad that was spiked with that pink season salt to which we added some little pink shrimp. But hey, it was considered a smashing success.
These days, when I am lucky enough to have the time to prepare a meal for someone special, I go out of my way to make sure that I cook something that I am comfortable with, a menu or dish that I’ve perfected over time, something special and delicious yes, but also familiar. There is a reason for this and its not because I’m afraid to experiment or that I’m not adventurous. I cook off the cuff most of the time. I buy whatever’s in season and reasonably priced and pair that with my usually well stocked pantry and just cook. But on those special occasions when I get to spend time with someone I haven’t seen in a while or for a special occasion, I want to put the focus on the time….the quality of the time. The rareness of spending a long evening with a friend over a great meal and some wine with out running back and fourth from the kitchen or stressing myself out so much that I’m an exhausted wreck when my guest arrives.
Valentines Day Recipes
For these special occasions I keep a small arsenal of my tried and true recipes handy. I have listed a few here for you to try but you know what you are good at and what turns out perfectly every time. I have a recipe here for slow cooked beef which is great when you want to make something ahead of time and a dish for a quick sauté that is perfect for cooking while your guest is in the kitchen. You just prepare the raw items before hand and sauté while you enjoy a glass of wine…and your guest.
Slow Roasted Beef with Red Wine and Winter Vegetables
Preheat oven to 375.
3 lbss rump roast with fat and marbling (serves 2 w/ leftovers) at room temp
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Winter root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, turnips in chunks
Large onion and a half head of garlic (yes, head not clove)
canned crushed tomatoes (in the winter) 1 ½ cups diced fresh peeled in summer
1½ cups red wine or port
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons corn starch
-Heat oil over a medium high, almost smoking, heat and sear your roast on all sides. Remove from pan and pour off most of the oil leaving just enough to sauté.
-Add onions and garlic and sauté until soft.
-Add wine or port and deglaze scraping all of the bits from the bottom and bring to a boil to remove alcohol. Add brown sugar, tomatoes and root vegetables and stir.
-Return roast to the pan and cover with foil loosely. Cook 1 ½ hours, turn roast and cook an additional 1 ½ hours.
-When cooked, remove roast covered in foil to a cutting board.
-Mix cornstarch with water and add to the pan to thicken sauce.
Note: This dish is hearty and warming. Try serving it with a nice salad of winter greens tossed with quinoa or berlotti beans and tossed with crisp vinaigrette.
Spinach Linguine and Savoy Cabbage with Roasted Fennel Cream
1 Ib of spinach linguine
1/4 cup olive oil
One large head of savoy Cabbage
1 head of fennel with stalks and fronds
1 head garlic
1/2 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 freshly grated Parmesan or local hard cheese
zest of one lemon
-Shred the savoy cabbage to approximately the size of the pasta you are using.
-Cook the pasta according to the package directions. During the last 4 minutes of cooking add the cabbage to the pasta. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking.
-Slice fennel very thinly reserving fronds. Chop garlic. Zest lemon.
(up to this point everything can be ahead of time)
-In a large sauté pan sauté the garlic and fennel over a medium heat until soft and sweet. Approximately 10 minutes. Do not let garlic brown. Salt to taste.
-Add the heavy cream reserving ¼ cup in case you need it later. Reduce cream to about one half or until it thickens. Add the pasta and cabbage mixture and warm in the cream.
-Finish with Parmesan, (reserving enough for a dusting on the tope of the finished dish) which will further thicken the sauce and grate fresh nutmeg over the top then mix. If needed, add the reserved cream. Season to taste. Finish with reserved cheese, lemon zest and nutmeg.
Note: This is a rich dish. I love a bit of steamed broccolini to accompany. You can use the pasta water to gently cook the vegetable then finish with a nob of butter and some lemon.
