Romantic Meals For Your Night In This Valentine’s Day
The shorter, colder days of winter are upon us again. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t always have the desire to leave the house in the winter once it is dark out—even for a date night. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little romance at home, all cozy and tucked into a beautiful meal with the one you love. This month, we are going to be cooking up three deliciously romantic meals for your date nights that are sure to keep those home fires burning!
Guinness Braised Beef Short Ribs w/Garlic Parmesan Polenta
These rich and tender short ribs are delicious over a lovely mashed potato, egg noodles, or my personal favorite—creamy and cheesy polenta. Any way you choose to serve it, this labor of love is perfect for a romantic and cozy night in!
Ingredients:
1-1½ lbs. beef short ribs, English style
1 medium onion, diced finely
As much garlic as your heart desires (or 3 cloves, peeled and smashed)
1 carrot, peeled and diced finely
2 stalks celery, cleaned and diced finely
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 TBSP beef base or bouillon
1 can Guinness, or other dark ale
A couple sprigs each:
Thyme
Rosemary
Parsley
Salt and pepper
1 ½ cups flour seasoned with a teaspoon each:
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Smoked paprika
Instructions:
1: Preheat your oven to 350°. Season the short ribs evenly with salt and pepper, and coat lightly in seasoned flour. Place on a plate and into the fridge for about 15 minutes to chill.
2: In a large dutch oven, heat a couple of tablespoons of your favorite cooking oil over medium heat. Remove the short ribs from the fridge, and sear evenly to a deep golden brown on all sides of each short rib. Once seared, remove from the pot and set aside.
3: Stir in the prepped veggies and saute until the onions begin to soften. Stir in the beef base and tomato paste and allow to saute for a few minutes, stirring often.
4: Add the can of Guinness and herbs, and stir well. Allow to simmer for a few minutes before tasting for seasoning. Adjust seasoning as you like, and nestle the seared short ribs into the mixture, adding enough water to just cover.
5: Pop the lid on the Dutch oven and braise in your preheated oven for 4-6 hours, or until the short ribs are just fork tender.
6: Once the short ribs are done, remove them from the Dutch oven and set aside. Skim the fat from the top of the braising liquid, and strain into a saucepan using a colander, strainer or cheesecloth.
7: In a saucepan, heat 1 TBSP butter or oil, and 1 TBSP flour over medium heat. Stir often to keep the mixture from burning, and after 5 minutes or so whisk in the braising liquid. Allow the sauce to come to a strong simmer and reduce heat. Whisk well and allow to simmer until thickened to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust as you like before serving.
Now that we have our ribs cooked to fork tender perfection, and our delicious pan gravy done – now plate it up and enjoy! I serve the short ribs atop my polenta, with a HEALTHY ladleful of pan gravy on top, and a sprinkle of Parm. So cozy, SO romantic, comforting, and so scrumptious.
Macadamia Nut Mahi Mahi w/Garlic Scallion Rice and Pineapple Beurre Blanc
Warm up those cold winter nights with some night in romance! This rich, buttery, and citrusy beurre blanc is a perfect backdrop for the tender, flaky Macadamia nut crusted fish. The garlicky scallion fried rice does a wonderful job of ensuring none of that beautiful sauce gets left behind. It looks and tastes like pure sunshine on a plate. This dish takes me back to being in the sun, on a beach, with my love…even on the coldest winter night.
Ingredients:
For the Macadamia Nut Crust Mahi Mahi:
2-6 ounce Mahi Mahi, Halibut, or other whitefish filet
⅔ cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
⅓ cup panko crumbs
3 TBSP of melted butter
2 TBSP of chopped chives
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Garlic and Scallion Rice:
Short Grain White or Brown rice, prepared to package instructions
(I used Homai Calrose rice for this recipe.)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
3 scallions chopped, with greens and whites separated
3 TBSP butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sesame oil
For the Pineapple Beurre Blanc:
1 ½ cups of nice quality white wine, I love Sauvignon Blanc for Beurre blancs.
*Choose one you consider drinkable.
1 small shallot, diced
⅔ cup pineapple nectar/juice
2 TBSP of lemon juice
8 TBSP of cold butter, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ TBSP heavy cream
Instructions:
1: Preheat your oven to 400°. Combine all ingredients for the Macadamia nut crust (minus the fish) in a small mixing bowl, mix well, and set aside.
2: Place fish filets on a parchment lined sheet pan, and lightly salt and pepper the filets. Spoon half of the crust mixture onto each fish filet. Use clean hands to press the topping down firmly into mounds on the fish. Place into the refrigerator to stay cold until we are ready to roast them off.
*If you haven’t already, prepare your rice to cook. Rinse your rice well. Rinsing removes excess surface starch, which ensures the grains remain separate when cooked. Wash the rice 3 times, or until the water is clear, and then proceed with cooking the rice.
3: Once the rice has been cooked, spread in a thin layer onto a small sheet pan and place into the refrigerator to chill for approximately 30 minutes.
4: Once rice is cooled, heat the butter for the rice in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add in prepared scallion and garlic cloves. Allow to sweat over medium heat until fragrant, then add rice and begin to fry lightly. Stir occasionally until your desired texture is achieved. I like mine to be slightly toasted, but not burned. Once the desired toastiness has been reached, add sesame oil and remove from heat. Stir well, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
5: Remove fish from the refrigerator and place into our preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the topping is a light golden brown. Allow the fish to rest for a couple minutes for maximum juiciness.
6: Place wine, lemon juice, pineapple nectar/juice, cream, and shallots in a saucepan. The cream is not traditional, but it is used to help stabilize the sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium/high heat. Allow to simmer for around 5 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half. Using a fine-mesh strainer or a piece of cheesecloth, strain out the minced shallot, and discard.
7: Reduce heat to the lowest setting and whisk in 2 cubes of butter at a time, allowing butter to melt into the mixture before adding more, until all butter is added. Keep the butter moving until fully melted. Whisking continuously allows the butter to emulsify into the wine mixture, creating a beautifully buttery sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
Date Night Pasta With Tagliatelle, Spicy Italian Sausage, Vodka Sauce
We make this often for our romantic meals during our evenings at home. It is simply called “Date Night” pasta, and it is one of my husband’s FAVORITES. I love to serve this fiery dish with a generous sprinkle of Parmegiano, and a handful of microgreens. Sometimes I even top it with some burrata for an extra special touch!
Ingredients:
½ lb. pasta of your choice
1 lb. Spicy Italian Sausage
1 medium shallot, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil for sautéing
¼-½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to your personal spice level)
1 cup vodka
2 tablespoons tomato paste
⅓ cup heavy cream
Parmesan or Romano cheese
Salt and pepper
Microgreens (optional, but DELICIOUS)
Instructions:
1:. Brown the Italian sausage over medium heat in a sautè pan. While sausage is cooking, cook pasta to package instructions for al dente pasta in generously salted water.
2: Add shallot to the pan and saute until shallot is tender. Once shallot is tender, add garlic and continue to saute until garlic is fragrant.
3: Stir tomato paste into the sautéed aromatics, and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Whisk in vodka and pepper flakes and cook for 5-7 minutes over medium heat to cook the alcohol out.
4: Using a slotted spoon or wire strainer, remove the al dente pasta from the cooking water and place into the pan with vodka sauce mixture. Reserve ½ cup of your pasta water, as it is pure MAGIC for creating a cohesive sauce.
5: Stir gently to mix the pasta and all of our goodies together. Add the reserved pasta water and toss pasta gently to combine.
6: Gently fold in the cheese, David. Once cheese has begun to melt into the pan sauce, stir in the heavy cream and taste for seasoning. Adjust as you like.
