Food, Home and Style

A Romantic Meal, the Recession-Friendly Way

Oysters may be an aphrodisiac and truffles might seem romantic, but there’s nothing sexier than offering to cook your date a simple meal at home.

Especially on Valentine’s Day, when the hottest restaurants in town are all packed to the brim and serving predictable prix fixe menus, a candlelit dinner at your own table can be just what Cupid ordered.

Whether you’re looking to save money or show off your skills in the kitchen, we have put together a super-simple, recession-friendly Valentine’s menu that anyone can cook at home.

Cocktail
Flirtini
Mixologist Dale DeGroff‘s cocktail recipes are legendary, but this simple concoction (adapted from his book, The Craft of the Cocktail) is made from ingredients you may already have stocked away at home.

Ingredients:
2 chunks of pineapple (fresh or canned)
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz. pineapple juice
3 oz. champagne

Combine pineapple chunks and Triple Sec in a glass and muddle. Add vodka and juice, and stir with ice. Strain into a chilled glass, and top with a bit of champagne. (Save the rest of the champagne to serve as an after-dinner treat.)

Time: 5 minutes
Cost: $10 (assuming you already have most of the alcohol elements)

Appetizer
Butternut Squash Stew
If your date enjoys eating seasonally, then Dan Colarusso’s Butternut Squash Stew might be just the dish to serve. The wintertime appetizer is cheap, easy, and vegetarian friendly.

Ingredients:
2 bags of cut butternut squash
1 can of chickpeas
1 can of plain, diced tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion
Curry powder
Nutmeg
Coriander
Cinnamon
Olive oil

Dump chickpeas into a strainer, rinse in cold water, and mince the garlic and onion. Coat the bottom of a stock pot with olive oil and sauté the garlic and onion. Add butternut squash, un-drained tomatoes, chickpeas, and lightly sprinkle with salt, curry powder, coriander and nutmeg, before bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and cover for 5 minutes. Add more curry powder (to taste), and simmer for another 10 to 12 minutes.

Time: 20 minutes
Cost: Less than $10

Main Course
Polenta with Broccoli
Avoid complicated recipes on a big night like Valentine’s, and stick with a simple entrée. Adapted from a spring 2007 issue of EAT (a special interest publication from Better Homes and Garden), this polenta recipe is light enough to leave room for the all-important Valentine’s dessert.

Ingredients:
I c. quick cooking polenta mix
1 c. vegetable or chicken broth
1 tbs. cornstarch
1 c. chopped onion
4 tsp. olive oil
3 tsp. minced garlic
3 c. chopped broccoli florets
1/2 c. roasted sweet peppers
1/4 c. sliced almonds

Prepare polenta according to package directions, then set aside and keep warm. Stir together broth and cornstarch, then set aside. In a skillet, cook onion and olive oil over high heat for 4 minutes. Add garlic, and stir for 30 seconds. Add broccoli, and stir for 4 minutes. Stir in sweet peppers. Combine vegetables mixture with cornstarch and broth.  To serve, place polenta on plates and spoon vegetable mixture over the top. Sprinkle with almonds.

Time: 30 minutes
Cost: $11

Dessert
Hot Fudge Sauce
Possibly the most important part any Valentine’s meal is the dessert. Ana Dane’s hot fudge sauce recipe is perfect to pour over a low-cost bowl of sliced strawberries or vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:
2/3 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Add heavy cream, corn syrup, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and chocolate to a sauce pan over medium heat, then bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Remove from heat to stir in butter and vanilla. Let sauce cool before serving.

Tags: cooking, food, recipes, romance, Valentine's Day