What easy but impressive date-night dishes would you recommend for Valentine’s Day?
Ben, Cardiff
As Lara Lee, author of Coconut & Sambal, sensibly points out: “Valentine’s Day is on a Monday this year, so it’s all about having as little washing-up as possible.” The solution? Turn up the heat with a Thai green or red curry. “I’ve been exploring the world of good curry pastes, which you can buy in Asian supermarkets,” says Lee, who favours the Mae Ploy, Maesri, Pantai, Nittaya and Lobo brands. “Fry it in a bit of oil, add a couple of cans of coconut milk, your chosen protein and vegetables, and – voila! – you have a curry.” Lee does, however, “pimp the paste”, throwing in a couple of makrut lime leaves (“I always keep a tub of them in the freezer”), bruised lemongrass and minced ginger. “It can then simmer while you’re sipping wine and listening to Kenny G.”
Shareable food such as meze is a good way to go, says Ravinder Bhogal, chef/owner of Jikoni in London. “I also love seafood, especially scallops. They take mere moments to cook, or try them cured in a ceviche.” Emily Scott, chef-owner of Emily Scott Food at Watergate Bay in Cornwall, is also #teamscallops, which she fries before topping with a classic beurre blanc. “Make them more of a main course by serving with new potatoes and greens, or, if it’s for a starter, some nice bread.”
A big pot of “comforting but delicate” fish stew is sure to make your night in (or any night, for that matter) special, Scott adds. While that might sound a bit of a faff for a Monday, you could always make the base (finely sliced onion and fennel, garlic, tinned tomatoes, a good pinch of saffron and fish or veg stock) the day before. “Then all you’re doing on the day is cooking whatever fish you want – mussels, clams, prawns, gurnard – in that sauce.” Oh, and knocking up a saffron aïoli (“or cheat and buy mayonnaise”) to spread on accompanying crostini.
Mussels and clams are also perfect partners for linguine, Bhogal says: “You may have your Lady and the Tramp moment yet.” More spaghetti slurping can be found in puttanesca, which, Scott notes, earns bonus points for being red. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan, then “add tinned cherry tomatoes with a couple of finely chopped garlic cloves, capers, oregano, some chilli flakes or half a finely diced red chilli, black olives and anchovies.” Bubble away, toss in the cooked pasta and serve with finely chopped parsley.
Valentine’s Day is, of course, a friend of the sweet-toothed. “I love making jelly,” says Bhogal, who suggests a rhubarb and custard number. “Gorgeously pink, like a just spanked bottom, with a shot of booze in it to keep it jolly but adult.” Happily, that can be made ahead of time, too. The same goes for old-school chocolate mousse or pannacotta, which Scott serves with figs that have been halved, sprinkled with sugar, and caramelised under the grill. “And things dipped in chocolate are always good, aren’t they?” And as easy to make for two people as they are for one, because, Scott says, “lovingly cooking something for yourself is also really important”.
• Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com
