Special Valentines’ dinner
Valentines’ day comes to us each year to remind us of love, while commemorating the life of a 3rd century Roman saint, St. Valentine. While modern day emphasis is of celebrations for lovers and a dinner out, the day was originally intended as a reminder of love we humans have not only for that one special person but also love of family and friends. In a winter that has seen much strife at home and abroad, it seems fitting to give human love a special acknowledgement.
Cooking for friends or family at it’s best can be seen as a labor of love and so this column is meant as a roadmap for a special Valentines’ dinner. It can be an intimate dinner for two or four as desired. So, let us start with setting the mood and the table with some flowers and candles and a chilled bottle of champagne with festive bubbles. The meal itself is designed to focus on the persons involved with a minimum of last-minute preparation.
Simple appetizers of melon cubes wrapped in prosciutto can be prepared ahead and refrigerated until serving. Oven ready potato gratin can be started ahead and steamed broccoli only takes 5 minutes while preparing the main attraction, veal Marsala. Ice cream and berries makes an instant lovely dessert.
Peel and slice 5 large potatoes into 1/8-inch slices and keep covered with water. Thinly slice 2 shallots and freshly grate Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to make 1 cup. Drain and rinse a 14 oz can of artichoke hearts and 4oz can sliced mushrooms. Spray a 9x7x2 inch baking dish with buttery baking spray. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels.
Assemble the gratin with a single layer of 1/3 potatoes, ½ sliced shallots, ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, ½ of the artichoke hearts and ½ of mushrooms. Repeat with another layer of the same plus ½ cup cheddar or Jack cheese. Finish the top with the last 1/3 of the potatoes.
Pour 1 and ¼ cups chicken broth mixed with 1 tblsp. lemon juice, ½ tsp. lemon pepper and ¼ tsp nutmeg over the potatoes and push down to even the top. Dot with 1 tblsp. butter and cover tightly with aluminum foil sprayed with baking spray. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 1 hour, remove the aluminum foil, sprinkle with ½ cup grated cheddar cheese and bake for additional 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve warm or reheat covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Humanely raised veal is readily available in supermarkets these days and allows for this quickly prepared delicious meat course from 1 lb. thin scallopine cut meat. My recipe dates back to Craig Clairborne’s NY Times cookbook, with a slightly more generous addition of dry Marsala and chicken broth.
Place each piece of veal scallopine between plastic wrap and pound with a mallet on both sides to very thin slices. (This can be done ahead of time and the pounded meat held in refrigerator). Lightly salt and pepper each slice of meat and dip on both sides in flour spread on a large plate and shake off excess flour. (Use almond or rice flour for gluten free).
Heat 1 tblsp. olive oil and 2 tblsp. butter without smoking in a large pan and fry the veal 2 pieces at a time for 1-2 minutes on the side until browned. Set aside on a warm plate and fry the additional pieces with more butter and oil and set aside. Turn down the heat to low and stir in 1/3 cup dry (not sweet) Marsala and scrape up the brown bits, add ¼ cup chicken broth, reduce the volume to ¼ cup, pour the sauce over the meat on the plate and serve warm.
An elegant no fuss dessert can be caramel swirl or vanilla ice cream topped with sliced strawberries. You can always gild the lily with a box of chocolate truffles.
Happy Valentines’ everyone!
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
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