Cooking for somebody is all the time an act of affection. It takes time, and consuming collectively is an intimate exercise. Whether or not you prepare dinner a meal from scratch each night or solely when there’s a special day, I hope the hyperlink between meals and love is one you get to really feel. This week’s dishes work in addition to an all-out feast for 14 February – completely satisfied Valentine’s! – as they do individually on any day of the week or yr.
Butternut squash with currants, olives and ricotta (pictured above)
I like the steadiness of candy and bitter right here. That works each as an outline of the dish itself, which is impressed by the flavours of Italian caponata, and as a metaphor for relationships. Make this a day forward, should you like: the flavours solely enhance with time. For a gluten-free possibility, swap the bread for lettuce cups or anything scoop-like.
Prep 25 min
Cook dinner 25 min
Serves 2
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small purple onion, peeled and finely chopped (120g)
1½ tsp tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2½ tsp maple syrup
350g butternut squash (ie a few third of a medium one), peeled and reduce into 1-1½cm cubes (300g)
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
25g dried currants
70g nocellara olives, pitted and halved (40g)
25g pine nuts, nicely toasted
1 tbsp oregano leaves
2 tbsp basil leaves, reduce into chiffonade strips
120g ricotta
Focaccia (store-bought), to serve
Put two tablespoons of the oil in a medium saute pan on a medium-high warmth, then add the onion and prepare dinner, stirring often, for 4 minutes, till softened however not browned. Add the tomato paste, garlic and a teaspoon and a half of the maple syrup, and prepare dinner, stirring, for an additional 30 seconds, till aromatic. Stir within the squash, a half-teaspoon of salt and a beneficiant grind of pepper, then flip down the warmth to medium and fry, stirring often, for 12 minutes, till the squash is gentle however nonetheless holding its form.
In the meantime, put the vinegar in a small saucepan on a medium-high warmth. As soon as it’s effervescent, take off the warmth, stir within the currants and put aside to plump up.
When the squash is prepared, stir within the vinegar and currant combination, the olives, remaining teaspoon of maple syrup and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and prepare dinner gently for 3 minutes extra. Put aside to chill barely – give it a minimum of quarter-hour – then stir within the herbs.
In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a beneficiant grind of pepper. Divide the ricotta combine between two plates, then prime with the nice and cozy squash combination. Drizzle over the ultimate tablespoon of oil and serve heat or at room temperature, with the focaccia to tear, scoop and eat alongside.
Spaghetti and (not) meatballs with fried oregano
Probably the most romantic scene in (Disney) movie historical past has to go to Lady and the Tramp, proper? That is my vegetarian homage. Further-long spaghetti non-compulsory, for the true sharing expertise. You’ll be left with two spare “meatballs”, which will probably be excellent for a mini meatball sub or snack.
Prep 35 min
Cook dinner 1 hr 15 min
Serves 2
For the tomato sauce
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes, crushed by hand or with a fork
1 tsp aleppo chilli flakes, plus 1 tsp further for the meatballs
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp tomato paste
1½ tsp caster sugar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper
For the ‘meatballs’
3½ tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped (180g)
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped in a meals processor (100g)
3 sprigs recent thyme, picked to get 1 tsp leaves
1 tbsp oregano leaves, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
300g chestnut mushrooms, coarsely chopped in a meals processor
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
65g cooked brown rice, roughly blitzed in a meals processor
25g parmesan, finely grated, plus further to serve
1 egg
50g panko breadcrumbs
35g parsley leaves, finely chopped
130g spaghetti
For the crisp oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
1½ tbsp oregano leaves
Warmth the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gasoline 8. First, make the sauce. Put the tomatoes, a teaspoon of the aleppo chilli, oil, tomato paste, sugar, garlic, 200ml water, half a teaspoon of salt and a great grind of pepper in a medium 20cm x 14cm oven dish and bake for 25-Half-hour, stirring as soon as midway, till decreased by about half.
To make the meatballs, put a tablespoon and a half of the oil in a big frying pan on a medium-high warmth. Add the onion, carrot, thyme and oregano, and prepare dinner, stirring often, for 10 minutes, till the onion has softened and evenly colored. Add the garlic, mushrooms and soy sauce, prepare dinner, stirring often, for an additional 10 minutes, till properly browned, then take off the warmth and depart to chill.
As soon as the mushroom combine is cool, stir within the pine nuts, rice, the second teaspoon of aleppo chilli, 25g parmesan, the egg, breadcrumbs and parsley, and blend nicely to mix. Divide the combination into eight roughly 60g items, roll these into balls, ensuring they’re tightly compacted. Wipe out the pan, then put it again on a medium-high warmth with the remaining two tablespoons of oil. As soon as the oil is scorching, fry the meatballs, turning them gently, for seven to eight minutes, till evenly colored throughout. Rigorously switch the balls to the tomato sauce dish, flip them gently with a spoon to coat, then return the dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, to warmth the meatballs via.
In the meantime, make the crisp oregano. Put the oil in a small frying pan on a medium-high warmth and, as soon as scorching, add the oregano leaves and fry, stirring continually, for 2 minutes, till they begin to darken and switch translucent. Take off the warmth and pour via a sieve set over a small bowl.
Cook dinner the spaghetti in loads of salted boiling water for about seven minutes, or in accordance with bundle instructions, then drain, reserving three tablespoons of the cooking water.
Rigorously raise the meatballs from the sauce and switch them to a plate. Stir the spaghetti and reserved cooking water into the tomato sauce till properly coated, then divide between two shallow bowls, prime with three meatballs every after which with the crisp oregano and its oil. Sprinkle with the additional parmesan, and serve.
Strawberries and vanilla cream with milk chocolate crumble
For all that strawberries are related to love, they’re not in season in February, which is why I’ve used frozen right here. There’s nothing to cease you saving the recipe for the summer time as nicely, to check out with recent, ripe strawberries.
Prep 15 min
Cook dinner 35 min
Serves 2
300g frozen strawberries, defrosted
1 lime, juiced, to get 1½ tsp, and zest finely grated, to get 1 tsp
30g caster sugar
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
¼ tsp sumac
60g creme fraiche
60ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the cocoa crumble
25g plain flour
2 tsp (5g) cocoa powder
4 tsp (10g) milk powder
25g darkish, gentle brown sugar
A pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
30g fridge-cold unsalted butter, reduce into 1½cm cubes
Warmth the oven to 170C (150C fan)/325F/gasoline 3, then begin on the crumble. In a big bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, milk powder, sugar and salt to mix, then add the vanilla and butter, and use your fingertips to squeeze the butter cubes into the dry elements till you’ve gotten a tough crumble. Tip out on to a small, oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake for 22 minutes, stirring as soon as midway to interrupt it up. Take away from the oven, stir once more to show the combination to a advantageous crumble, then depart to chill utterly.
Measure out 200g strawberries, halve them (or quarter them in the event that they’re on the massive aspect) and put in a bowl. Add the lime juice and 10g caster sugar, toss gently to mix, then refrigerate.
Put the remaining 100g strawberries within the small bowl of a meals processor and blitz clean, scraping down the edges of the bowl as wanted. Pour right into a small saute pan, add the molasses, sumac and one other 10g sugar, flip the warmth to medium-high and convey to a simmer. As soon as the combination begins to bubble, flip down the warmth to medium, prepare dinner gently, stirring often, for 5 to 6 minutes, till shiny and barely thickened, then put aside to chill utterly.
Put the creme fraiche, double cream, vanilla and remaining 10g sugar in a big bowl and whisk by hand for 2 or three minutes, till you’ve gotten gentle peaks. Refrigerate till able to serve (you need it good and chilly).
Divide the cream combination between two small shallow bowls, then make a nicely within the centre with the again of a spoon. High the cream with the blitzed strawberries, and swirl them in barely. Drain the macerated strawberries of their liquid, then divide them between the 2 bowls. Lastly, sprinkle over a great spoonful of the crumble, end with the lime zest, and serve with the remaining crumble to spoon over to style.
