Valentine’s Recipes

Made From the Heart - That’s Amore

Show your significant other that you appreciate them by cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day. Especially for those who do not typically manage the kitchen, a prepared meal for your loved one will go a very long way. The meal doesn’t have to be fancy; it’s the effort that counts!

Balsamic & Ricotta Bruschetta

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely diced strawberries • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil • Flaky sea salt • 12 toasted baguette slices • 1 cup ricotta cheese

• Balsamic vinegar for garnish (use an aged balsamic that is thick and syrupy)

Directions

In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with the basil, olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt. Spread each slice of baguette with ricotta cheese. Top with a spoonful of strawberries, drizzle with balsamic and sprinkle with more sea salt.

Pasta Pomodoro

Ingredients

• 1 pound Barilla or your favorite brand dried pasta such as spaghetti or penne • 1 pound medium size fresh tomatoes, such as campari or cocktail tomatoes • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided • 6 large fresh garlic cloves of the same size, divided • 12-15 basil leaves • 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt

Instructions

1. Begin cooking the pasta noodles in boiling water seasoned with 1 tablespoon kosher salt for approximately 5 minutes. (Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water to add to the sauce later.) While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce.

2. For the sauce, cut the tomatoes in half, then quarter the halves, and set aside. Heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat, and add three of the garlic cloves to the oil. Tilt the pan so the garlic is immersed in the oil to flavor it as the garlic cooks. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant and begins to color, then to avoid splatters, carefully add the tomatoes along with their juice to the flavored oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring and breaking apart the tomatoes as they cook. Pull out the garlic cloves and discard. Continue cooking the sauce for 6-8 more minutes where it will thicken and become creamy as it cooks. Tear the fresh basil leaves into pieces and add to the sauce when cooking is nearly complete.

3. As the pasta is cooking, heat the remaining olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat with the remaining garlic. Cook until lightly browned and remove the garlic and discard. Carefully ladle 1 to ½ cups of the pasta water ¼ cup at a time into the garlic infused oil. Transfer the noodles to the pan and continue cooking the pasta for 1-2 more minutes or until the water and oil is absorbed. Divide the noodles among four plates, and top with the sauce. Garnish with more fresh basil and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving. Or, toss the noodles with the sauce and serve family style. Be sure to reserve 2 cups of pasta water to add to the garlic oil and continue cooking in the last step.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Everything tastes better dipped in chocolate, and on Valentine’s Day, there’s no other dessert that symbolizes love like chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Despite being one of the easiest and cheapest desserts to make, chocolate covered strawberries are one of those fancy, bite-size desserts that everyone loves, and on Valentine’s Day, can be a sweet ending to a perfect dinner. They’re beautiful and impressive looking, and they’re incredibly simple to make. One batch of chocolate covered strawberries only takes about 20 minutes to make.

WHAT TYPE OF CHOCOLATE SHOULD YOU USE FOR CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES?

Since this is such a simple recipe with just two basic ingredients, the quality of chocolate is really important. The higher quality of chocolate, the better they will taste, and I’ve found that “Baking Chocolate” works best.

A cheap bag of chocolate chips will not taste as good or melt easily. High quality chocolate (or baking chocolate chips) tastes less processed, melts easier, and really helps give the strawberries a nice beautiful coat after dipping.

Ghirardelli baking chips or Baker’s Baking Chocolate are good choices for quality chocolate. You can use bittersweet or semi-sweet, or you can use milk chocolate, or white chocolate for dipping strawberries.

HOW TO MELT CHOCOLATE FOR DIPPING:

The easiest way to melt chocolate is in a double boiler or in the microwave. If you don’t own a double boiler, you can make your own with a simple saucepan and heat-safe glass bowl (see tutorial below).

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN DOUBLE BOILER:

• Fill a saucepan ¼ full with water and bring the water to a low gentle boil. • Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and set a large (heat-proof) glass bowl on top, making sure the bowl tightly covers the pot. Make sure there are a few inches of space between the bottom of the bowl and the water. • Add chocolate to the bowl and stir constantly, until melted and smooth. • Remove the bowl from heat and add a handful of reserved chocolate to the bowl to temper the chocolate. • Stir until the additional chocolate has melted.

MELTING CHOCOLATE CHIPS IN THE MICROWAVE

Yes, you can melt chocolate chips in the microwave as long as they are a high quality brand of baking chocolate chips. To microwave them, set your microwave at half power and stir the chocolate every 30 seconds until smooth.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES:

1. Wash and dry the strawberries. 2. Prepare desired toppings (nuts, toasted coconut, etc.) 3. Prepare your workspace with a parchment lined baking tray to place the dipped strawberries on. 4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. 5. Dip the strawberries in melted chocolate. 6. Coat in desired toppings. 7. Lay the strawberries on a prepared baking sheet and allow them to rest until the chocolate has set. 8. Drizzle with melted white chocolate if desired.

TOPPING IDEAS:

• Chopped Nuts (peanuts, pistachios, pecans, etc.) • Toasted coconut • Sprinkles • Mini chocolate chips (any flavor) • Graham cracker crumbs • Crushed Oreo cookies • Melted white chocolate • Crushed candy canes