Valentine's Day Menu
Ask and ye shall receive!
Actually, I asked if you guys were interested in me posting a V-Day menu and 100% of you replied YES.
This menu was designed with the current state of the world that we face in 2021: Many people do not feel comfortable going out to eat, but they still want to celebrate and they want it to be with a meal that is special. This meal is meant to feel gourmet, a little “extra” if you will, but it’s intentionally not too much work to prepare or dirty dishes to wash. I know that you want to have time to relax with your loved one after all!
Or, loved ones in my case.
I had my parents and my baby at the dinner table along with my husband when I recipe tested this menu. The recipes serve 4 so you can have leftovers (we are huge leftover fans and I feel like you want a meal to last more than one sitting when you are putting in a good effort), but we didn’t have any leftovers this time because we were on a “double date” (plus a wee little one who ate pureed string beans with us).
You can make all of these recipes, but if you want to only make some of them, GO FOR IT! They all pair really well together, but if you just want to do the salad or the main course or even the dessert, you will be happy. They are all winners on their own.
Just don’t buy store bought roasted peppers. I would rather you skip them and just have a burrata and arugula salad. You can saute or blister some cherry tomatoes instead, but Valentine’s Day is worth roasting your own red peppers for and it is EASY.
How did I come up with this menu?
VERY thoughtfully. Nothing too gassy could be on the menu, so beans were out. Broccoli, B-Sprouts, or any cruciferous vegetable was a no-go. I do have dairy in here, but I needed to add something that I thought felt a little indulgent.
If I was making this menu for vegans, I would recommend a vegan caesar salad with tempeh croutons and as a main course I would make a creamy pasta dish with tomatoes (using almond milk and nutritional yeast to make the sauce creamy). Minimalist Baker has great recipes for both.
The Torta Caprese can be made vegan if you use something like an “Earth Balance” vegan substitute.
I picked Torta Caprese as the dessert because we HAVE to have something chocolate on Valentine’s Day, but it isn’t too heavy. Did you know that they actually eat this for breakfast in Capri?
I love Italians.
This is a dessert that is so delicious, but isn’t going to leave you feeling overstuffed. My mom says add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and strawberries on top too, but I didn’t want to induce a stomach ache by adding that in the recipe. Donna says it is worth it, so you decide.
Order of Prep
I would prep the dessert first, then prep the roasted red peppers and the salad (but leave the tossing of the dressing until right before you eat). Then I would move on to the string beans and then the pasta. Toss the salad right before the pasta is ready!
So, here is the menu:
Burrata & Arugula Salad with Roasted Red Peppers in a Balsamic Dressing
Cacio e Pepe
Sauteed String Beans
Torta Caprese
Burrata & Arugula Salad with Roasted Red Peppers in a Balsamic Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 TBS shallots, minced
1 pinch each sea salt and black pepper
Salad
4 oz Arugula
1 (4 oz) container Burrata
INSTRUCTIONS:
Make your red peppers and peel them.
Prepare dressing by adding all ingredients to a jar (or mixing bowl) and shaking vigorously (or whisking) to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more balsamic for acidity, salt or pepper for flavor balance, or olive oil for creaminess. Set aside.
In a large, shallow serving bowl, toss arugula with half of the balsamic dressing. Arrange roasted peppers atop arugula. Remove cream-filled burrata balls from container, arrange atop arugula and gently break them open with your hands or a butter knife. Drizzle salad with the remaining balsamic dressing. Serve immediately.
Cacio e Pepe
INGREDIENTS:
16 ounces dried spaghetti
8 ounces aged pecorino romano, finely grated
Lots and lots of freshly ground black pepper (I did about 50 twists on a pretty fine grind)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Put a pot of salted water on to boil. In a large bowl, combine the cheese and black pepper; mash with just enough cold water to make a thick paste (4-5 TBS) and add 1 TBS at a time. Spread the paste evenly in the bowl.
Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. The second before it is perfectly cooked (taste it often once it begins to soften), move the pasta quickly transfer it to the bowl, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Stir vigorously to coat the pasta, adding one small ladle of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce if necessary. Toss, toss, toss (a lot of movement helps here) to loosen the paste into a lightly creamy consistency that evenly coats the spaghetti strands.The sauce should cling to the pasta and be creamy but not watery. Taste and add more of the cheese-pepper paste to taste. Add more pasta water as needed only to loosen.
Plate and add additional pecorino and pepper to each dish if you wish. Eat immediately.
Sauteed String Beans
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 lbs green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil
Flaked salt
Coarsely ground fresh black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Toss green beans, oil, and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a bowl.
Add about a quarter of beans to the skillet and cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes, then toss and cook until charred and just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and repeat with remaining beans. Season with salt and pepper.
Torta Caprese
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs, room temp and separated
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Prepare a cake pan with butter and a circular parchment paper liner for easy cake release. Combine dark chocolate, butter, sugar, almond flour, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Once chocolate mixture is cool, whisk in egg yolks. Meanwhile, use an electric hand mixer to beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Use a spatula to gently fold egg whites into chocolate batter and mix until just combined. Do not over mix or you will deflate the batter, you want to leave plenty of airiness and white streaks are fine.
Pour batter into prepared cake tin and smooth surface. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.
Allow to cool 5 minutes, then turn out onto a plate and allow to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.