In 2019, Valentine’s Day is a Thursday, so most major plans for celebrating are probably scheduled for the bookending weekends. It’s hard, though, not to give the actual day a nod but how, without interfering with busy, tight weekday schedules? So in this post, I’m giving detailed directions for three complete dinners, from starters through desserts, which will suit not only those able to dine a deux on a week night but can also be served to a family to ‘celebrate ’ a fun holiday.

This concept resonates with me because Feb. 14^th was my Grandmother’s birthday, and the anniversary of her engagement to Grandfather. All through my childhood it was an occasion for a big family dinner. Nana, wanting to share her ‘day’ with us, gave everyone token gifts because she wanted us to know she loved us and that love is more than just romance. I miss those dinners, they are lovely memories and perhaps it’s not such a bad idea for a family to set aside a day to appreciate being a family. Why not Valentine’s Day?

Which brings me back to this post, these three dinners are designed to seem a bit upscale, befitting an occasion, but actually they’re not. They really don’t require more prep time, effort or expense than a normal weekday meal. The recipes are, actually, quite simple, especially with a couple of helping hands. In fact, many aspects of each can be made ahead and all have been modified to easily extend to include more servings by doubling or tripling the ingredient amounts.

Through the years, I’ve done several Valentine’s Day posts, including one on seafood last year when it fell on Ash Wednesday. So if you want more recipe ideas just go to the ‘Select Month’ window in the right margin of any page of this blog and choose February from each year.

STARTERS

Melon con Prociutto

One easy appetizer uses deli ham, from smoked turkey to real Prosciutto Crudo, suit your taste and budget. Get it thinly sliced, not shaved.
1) Slice a melon, traditionally a cantaloupe, in 1 inch wedges, remove seeds and rind, wrap with slice(s) of ham, secure with toothpicks and cut in about 3 pieces.
2) Similarly, a kosher dill pickle spear can be treated in the same way. Secure with 3 toothpicks and cut in thirds.
4oz of meat should yield about 24 appetizers with pickle, and about 20 or 22 with melon, because the meat may need to overlap more.
NOTE: Draping a piece of real Prosciutto Crudo, or even a thin slice of high quality ham over a 2 inch wedge of melon is the classic Italian first course Prosciutto con Mellone, an ever popular, elegant and always acceptable choice to serve guests and perhaps the better presentation for a family meal.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta traditionally, are ½ to ¾ inch slices of stale Italian bread, cut on an angle, lightly oiled and rubbed with garlic on one side and browned in the oven(350 deg. for 10 min.) French bread can be substituted for Italian. They support a great variety of toppings, and once browned, depending on the topping, may or may not be returned to the oven. Some suggested toppings are listed below, but your imagination can truly be your guide—
1) Chopped fresh tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper to taste and fresh, or dried herbs-basil, parsley, thyme or oregano. If substituting canned diced tomatoes, drain them very well and limit the oil.
2) Spread the toasted bread with pesto add slices of fresh mushrooms, or sautéed ones and /or carmelized onions or thin slices of tomato and top with slivers of brie, Fontana, gruyere or camembert. This can be served as is, or briefly run under the broiler.
3) Go veggie! Saute chopped onions and peppers in a little olive oil ( This actually can be done by placing them with the oil, just enough to coat, seasoned with lemon pepper to taste, in the microwave on high, allowing 2 min. per cup) top with chopped bits of oil cured sun-dried tomatoes and / or a choice of cheese. Do not allow to stand long.
4) Try Mexican! Replace the tomatoes with drained salsa and top with cheddar and fresh cilantro. Add a bit of cumin and coriander to taste during cooking (optional). Can be run under the broiler, or served at room temperature, but again do not allow to stand long.
5) For seafood lovers, make a Lamaise dressing of one part ketchup to three parts mayonnaise, add mace to taste. Spread it on the toasted bread and top with shrimp, whole or chopped, crab or lobster interspersed with julienne curly leaf lettuce or spinach.
6) Be elegant and top the bruschetta with thinly sliced smoked salmon and / or caviar decorated with a sprig of fresh dill. Optionally, a thin spread of cream cheese on the toast would mute the salty taste, for those who don’t care for it. This, especially, makes an excellent first course, as, in fact, do several of the suggestions above.
7) For a speedy presentation, use drained, canned, flavored, diced tomatoes and/or optionally, serve them in a bowl, with a spoon, surrounded by the toasted bread. This prevents them from becoming soggy.

Cream Cheese with Tapenade

Tapenades and cream cheese are naturals together. If you are in need of something to serve fast, open an 8oz. package of cream cheese, and spoon about 4-6oz. of tapenade, jarred or your own, diagonally over it. Serve with crackers or other spreadables. Chopped marinated mushrooms, artichoke hearts, smoked oysters or mussels also work well this way, as does a spicy chutney. Another presentation is to cut the cheese diagonally, reverse the sides to form a triangle, cover it with tapenade and use a cinnamon stick as a trunk to form a tree.
Spanish tapenades are now found in the relish aisle of most markets. Olive and sun-dried tomato tapenades are the most popular variety, usually sold only in small 4 oz. jars, which keep for 2-3 weeks, in the refrigerator but it’s so easy that I prefer to make my own and do it ahead. A tapenade is simply a combination of any of several ingredients, marinated in olive oil to meld the flavors. Possibilities are: sliced olives, black and/ or green, chopped onion, chopped garlic, chopped peppers red and / or green, fresh and / or roasted, sweet and/ or hot (very little of the latter) slivered pimento, capers, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, if oil cured, use the oil for the marinade, even ones re-hydrated in water are good and I find a bit of the tomato water softens the oiliness of the marinade. I’ve had tapenade with anchovies, or smoked oysters added at serving time. Just about anything goes so long as it isn’t sweet or sour, and proportions are to taste. I would suggest starting with the olives, which come pre-sliced in cans, think tomatoes, onions, garlic and go from there.

BONUS: Cream cheese

has numerous uses in appetizer recipes, and another quick, easy and tempting one is to mix it to taste with bottled horseradish and spread it on rounds, about 1/8 inch thick, of Lebanon bologna. If you are not familiar with this deli meat, it’s made of beef, looks fatty, but is actually very lean, and has a smoky, salty tang that is interesting, unique and pleasant. Spread on one slice, it can be rolled, or covered with another and cut in wedges.

ENTREES

Chicken Oscar:

Serves 2
2 boneless, skinless breasts
1 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. butter
¼ tsp. sage
Salt and pepper
6 shelled, deveined large shrimp-raw preferably but cooked are fine or 1/3 cup crab meat OR
(1/2 ) 15 oz. can artichoke hearts drained-see note*
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup chicken broth-OR 1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules + ¼ cup water
3 Tbs. heavy cream or half-and- half
Grated Parmesan for garnish
Dust chicken with flour and sauté, with seasonings, in butter over medium heat until juices run clear. Remove to a plate and keep warm.(Can be made ahead to this point) Add liquids, artichokes or raw shrimp to skillet and cook shrimp until pink and remove if liquid hasn’t thickened. If using artichokes continue cooking as liquid thickens, about 3-5 min. Plate chicken, pour over sauce and top with artichokes or shrimp. Garnish with cheese and serve.
NOTE: Marinated artichokes, well drained, are a nice alternative for the canned ones and lend an interesting taste contrast. They need no cooking, simply add them after saucing the meat and optionally omit the cheese.

Pork Chops Basil:

Serves 2
4 thin center cut pork chops or slices of loin
¼ cup flour
½ Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. dried basil leaves
¾ cup apricot nectar
1 Tbs. scotch or whiskey-optional
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Mexican Snapper:

Serves 2 From Light Menus by Louise Mariano
8-10 oz. red snapper or cod fillets
¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley
¼ cup slivered almonds
2 Tbs. butter
Lime juice
Salt and pepper
½ avocado- diced
Place fish in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with herb and almonds. Microwave butter with lime juice until melted, season to taste and pour over fish. Bake at 350 deg. for 30 min. garnish with avocados and serve.

SIDES

Salad of mixed greens with a vinaigrette dressing complements any of these entrees
Suggested Sides: Asparagus is traditional with Chicken Oscar but a seasonable, fresh or frozen green vegetable appropriate to the entrée can be served with any of these OR try:
Spinach Pie (1) 10oz box of chopped spinach, thawed. Drain the spinach and mix in a lightly oiled soup or pie plate, with 1 egg and 1 envelope of either chicken or beef bouillon, sprinkle with nutmeg and bake at 350 deg. for 30 min. or microwave on high for 10 min.

Potatoes:

1)8 or 10 tiny fingerling potatoes, depending on size, peeled in one strip around the middle, rolled with 1 Tbs. oil and sprinkled with 1 Tbs. rosemary, roasted on a foil covered cookie sheet at 400 deg. for 30-35 min, until brown.
2) (1) 15 oz. can small whole potatoes in 1 Tbs. melted butter on a foil lined cookie sheet and broil until browned. Can be made ahead and reheated.
3) For Pork: Bake 2 sweet potatoes in the microwave 8-9 min. until soft. Split and drizzle with Maple syrup to serve.
For Fish: 1 pkg. pre-cooked rice with 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice and 1 Tbs. chopped cilantro added before serving.

DESSERTS

7 Perfect Desserts for a Valentine’s Dinner

It would take too much space to include the full dessert recipes, so I’m simply listing them and giving brief descriptions, You can find them in full on the Feb. 9, 2017 posting. Just look on the right margin of any page on the site to see the drop-down ‘Select a Month’ Menu. While there, check out the Valentine’s Day articles from past years to get more dinner ideas. All the desserts below are quite simple. Two are more spectacular, three need a few finishing touches and two are table ready but all can be quickly served with little effort. Don’t let the first two scare you, they’re really simple to make and the recipes are easily divisible.

Bananas Foster with Grapes

– The classic dessert with the added taste and visual twist of grapes as well as the option to be served en flambé.

Cherries Jubilee

-A classic rendition with the modern option of directions to do the major prep in advance and finish just before serving.

Cranberry Crisp

-Batter and berries can be prepped and stored, chilled, ahead, then baked just before serving.

Cranberry-Nut Torte

-A cross between cheesecake and pie this can be made a day ahead and served chilled or at room temp

Chocolate-Burnt Almond Crunchballs

-My father’s favorite dessert. Toast slivered almonds until they are very dark and brittle. Put them in a wide bowl, such as a soup dish, and roll a large scoop of complimentary flavored ice cream in the nuts to cover. Freeze to firm-up, and serve with chocolate sauce. Sauce is more effective under not over the ice cream.

Biscotti-Classic Almond or Chocolate

-Can be baked 1-2 weeks in advance and simply presented plated with saucer of sweet wine or coffee for dunking