I am all for dining out on special occasions but, after years of slinging over-priced prix fixe menus during my restaurant days, I relish the opportunity to cook Valentine's dinner at home. Spending time with your special person in the kitchen is the perfect opportunity to connect. Source a few unique ingredients, grab a nice bottle of wine, light some candles, put on some tunes, and you're in business.
The key to a romantic dinner at home is to keep things simple. You don't want to be too overambitious and make things stressful or complex. You also don't want to spend hours working away and end up too tired to enjoy a leisurely meal, unable to savor the fruits of your labor. If your partner is not too handy in the kitchen, give them simple tasks that are fail-safe, such as making sure drinks are flowing, vegetables are peeled and prepped, and salad greens are washed and well dried.
My husband and I always make a pasta for our Valentine's Day meal. Not to sound overly "crunchy", but pasta is an indulgence for us, as it should be for most people. So, a pasta-focused meal always feels special. I source my pasta from Sfoglini, a Brooklyn-based artisanal purveyor that uses high end organic flours. They also have a beautiful assortment of rotating seasonal flavors.
The focal point of this Vday meal is an anchovy and brussels sprout pasta, which was inspired by my pasta loving friend Joy, over at Three Chairs. Garlic, lemon zest, brussels sprouts, and anchovy meld together to create the perfect seamless dish. Want a vegan version? Lose the anchovies and cheese and add in some capers for that salty umami flavor.
Start your romantic meal with a vegetarian version of a classic antipasto salad loaded with color and flavor. As for dessert, opt for dark chocolate bark studded with candied ginger and pistachios. Go for a fair-trade high-quality dark chocolate that is at least 70% cacao. Superior quality chocolate undergoes less processing and is therefore purer and unadulterated. Dark chocolate is also a stimulate and is considered by some to be an aphrodisiac, perfect for closing out your romantic meal. Chocolate and cocoa contain phenylethylamine and theobromine, which promote the release of brain chemicals that make you feel good and happy!
The Italian Stallion
serves 2-3
ingredients
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1/8 tsp dried oregano
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 small head radicchio, thinly sliced
- 1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced, about 3 cups
- 1 small red bell pepper, roasted, skin peeled, seeds removed, and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped or thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 4 radishes, sliced into half moons
- 5-6 black olives, pitted, thinly sliced
method
- Whisk together the vinegars, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or combine in a jar, and shake until blended. Taste, dressing should be a tad on the acidic side.
- In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Top with dressing, toss, and serve.
Pasta with Brussels Sprouts
serves 4 (in case you and your special friend want leftovers)
ingredients
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 6-8 anchovies or 1/4 cup capers for a vegan alternative
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 lb brussels sprouts, washed, ends removed, sliced in half or quartered, if very large
- 1 tsp lemon zest + 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 12 oz of your favorite tube-like pasta, I selected sfoglini whole grain trumpets
- 1/4 cup grated parm (omit if vegan)
method
- Heat 2 tbsps olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chili flakes and anchovies and cook for 1 minute or until anchovies melt away. (If subbing in capers, add them now). Toss in garlic, and sauté for another minute. Add brussels sprouts, half the lemon zest, and all the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper and cook undisturbed until golden on one side, about three to four minutes. Toss and continue to cook until vegetables are tender, about another three minutes.
- While the brussels sprouts are cooking, cook pasta al dente in boiling salted water.
- Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
- Add pasta, reserved pasta water, 2 tbsps of parm, and a little more black pepper to skillet. Cook, tossing all the ingredients together until liquid is evaporated.
- To serve, transfer to bowls, top with remaining parm, lemon zest, and more black pepper, if desired.
Dark Chocolate Bark
Keep it simple and make your own candy bar with high quality chocolate and a few of your favorite mix-ins. This bark was inspired by Bon Appetite cookbook, The Food Lover's Cleanse.
ingredients
- 8 oz good quality fair-trade bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips with at least 70% cacao
- 4-5 pieces of crystalized ginger, roughly chopped, or dried fruit of your choice - cherries or cranberries would be nice too.
- 1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp flakey sea salt, I like the vanilla bean sea salt from Jacobsen Salt Co
method
- Melt chocolate over a double boiler.
- Pour chocolate out on a parchment paper-lined sheet tray and smooth into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the chocolate evenly with ginger and pistachios. Finish with a dusting of sea salt. Let cool for at least two hours.
- Break into pieces and enjoy.
Happy Valentine's Day