While most people are probably out celebrating this day in restaurants, it is usually a good idea to stay home. V-day special menus tend to be expensive and frankly, not very good. We just received the March 09 issue of the Martha Stewart magazine so we just made the quickie dinner of the month.
Spring Onion soup
Scallops with wilted spinach and arugula
Pasta with spring herbs (dill and tarragon)
Cherry and amaretti parfait
Cherry goes really well with almond flavor. I poached dried cherries in water, sugar, and a dash of amaretto. The cream part is a bit too rich (cream cheese + ricotta cheese). I think yogurt would have been better. I think in this meal the soup and the pasta are the highlights. The pasta is only flavored with lemon zest, juice, olive oil, and herbs. but the lemon flavor really brightens the dish, while the herbs make every bite like an interesting stroll in the a garden on a spring morning. The soup is a quick version of a mutated french onion soup -- rather than cooking for 45 minutes for caramelization, the onions are only cooked for 15 minutes; the beef and veal stock is replaced with chicken stock and water. In addition to the olive oil drizzled on top, as instructed by the recipe, we also added a bit of white truffle oil for a twist. Nothing to say about the scallops and wilted greens, except my kitchen will smell like a restaurant for days to come. All in all a satisfying, budget-conscious, and quiet Valentine's Day dinner.
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