by Jamie Hausman

France might be the nation of love, but I’m straying from clichés this Valentine’s Day and whipping up a meal that gives other romantic cultural cuisines some love. You’ll note that I didn’t include a dessert because I’m a terrible baker. I suggest you visit your favorite luxury sweet shop and indulge. These recipes serve two, so partner up in the kitchen and get cooking.

First Course

“Queso de cabra con tomate” is Spanish for goat cheese with tomato sauce. It’s a classic tapas dish that my boyfriend and I make often in our apartment, using Frankies Spuntino tomato sauce recipe. The ingredients are stupidly simple, but the key to this dish is to simmer the tomato sauce for at least four hours. This recipe will leave you with plenty left over, but it won’t last long. We typically make it on a lazy weekend afternoon, so it’s great to make ahead of time or while you prep the rest of the meal.

Ingredients

1 cup olive oil

13 cloves garlic peeled and smashed

One 96-ounce can or four 28-ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

8 ounces goat cheese

Crostinis or toasted baguette slices

Directions

1. Combine the olive oil and garlic cloves in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Let the garlic turn golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

2. While garlic is cooking, pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and crush them with your hands until all tomatoes are burst. Discard any stems and basil leaves that might be in the mix.

3. When the garlic is almost done, add the red pepper flakes and stir, cook for another 30-60 seconds.

4. Dump in the tomatoes and salt, stirring well to combine and scraping up any garlic that stuck to the pan.

5. Cover and let simmer gently for four hours, stirring every so often and tasting because you can’t help it.

6. When the sauce is finished, place the goat cheese into shallow baking dish and flatten into a pancake shape.

7. Pour one or two cups of the tomato sauce over the cheese and bake the entire dish in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese starts to bubble, about 10-15 minutes. If you have made the sauce ahead of time, add another 10 minutes to baking time to accommodate.

8. Let the dish cool before serving with crostini or toasted baguette slices.

 [Recipe adapted from Frankies Spuntino]

Main Course

In my humble opinion, cooking a big fat juicy steak for your SO is a bit been there, done that. Go Greek with this pistachio and goat cheese-crusted lamb chop recipe. Can you tell we eat a lot of goat cheese? It’s so easy and comes together in 20 minutes or less.

Ingredients

⅛  cup fresh oregano

½ cup shelled pistachios

4 bone-in lamb chops, frenched (a technique in which the chop is partially cut away from the bone)

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

2 ounces goat cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

⅛ cup balsamic syrup (or vinegar)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Blend the oregano and pistachios together in a food processor until fine.

3. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil.

4. Pat the lamb chops dry with a paper towel and lightly season them with salt and pepper. Place them on the oiled baking sheet.

5. Using a butter knife, spread a layer of goat cheese over one side of each chop, spreading it so it’s smooth and even.

6. Press the pistachio crust into the goat cheese, forming a crust.

7. Drizzle about ½ teaspoon of olive oil over the top of each chop.

8. Bake the lamb chops in the oven for 8-9 minutes for medium rare and a minute or two longer for more well done.

9. Transfer two chops to each plate and drizzle with balsamic, serve warm.

[Recipe from The Daily Meal]

Side Dish

This garlic butter roasted mushroom recipe is an Italian riff on the classic French escargot. Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen swears by this side dish, originally from Gourmet. It’s the perfect way to round out your Mediterranean meal.

Ingredients

1 pound mushrooms, such as cremini or white, halved lengthwise if they’re large

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped into pieces

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in the middle.

2. In a 1-to 2-quart shallow baking dish, toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper.

3. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes, until mushrooms are golden and tender and the garlic sauce bubbles.

4. Remove from oven and stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately.

[Recipe from Smitten Kitchen]

by Tess Malone

Tess Malone, copy editor at Atlanta magazine, demonstrates how to dish up a won’t-be-single-for-long dinner for one. Just because you’re single on Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean your evening can’t be fabulous. Take inspiration from Parks and Recration’s Donna Meagle, and treat yo’self to a simple dinner with luxurious ingredients.

Main Course

Start with Roy Choi’s “pasta aglio e olio.” With just olive oil, garlic, spaghetti, dried red pepper flakes, and Parmesan, you can have an easy yet rich meal, especially if you buy the highest quality cheese and olive oil you can find (remember, treat yo’self). Even better, this dish is infinitely customizable: Add a little white wine as you sauté the noodles, squeeze in some fresh lemon juice, top with pan-fried vegetables (asparagus is especially good), or go all out with bacon.

Ingredients

1 pound dried spaghetti

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

12 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup fresh parsley, minced

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Sea salt

Ground black pepper

2 lemons

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the spaghetti, cooking until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Drain.

2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir frequently until the garlic is golden brown. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

3. Add the drained spaghetti directly to the pan. Toss until spaghetti is thoroughly coated with the garlic oil.

4. Remove pan from heat, add the parsley and Parmesan and toss well. Check for flavor and adjust the salt if necessary. Squeeze lemons to taste. Garnish with more Parmesan.

[Recipe from BakeSpace]

Dessert

Chocolate is almost better than a lover, so I recommend whipping up a batch of brownies from scratch. Duncan Hines might be quick but it’s nowhere near as decadent as food writer Regan Daley’s recipe (which I originally stole from Emma Straub who posted the recipe on her blog years ago), a writer any modern lady should read), containing at least three bars of dark chocolate, more than two sticks of butter, two cups of sugar, and four eggs. The batter is so good, your pan might never make it into the oven, but if you can resist, swirl in some cayenne to heat up your night and top it off with sea salt.

Ingredients

7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in small pieces

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened dutch-process cocoa

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to make the brownies easier to remove.

2. Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. When the chocolate is almost completely melted, remove from the heat, and stir until completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt together into a small bowl and set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs slightly to just blend. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is thickened and pale. This will be about 1 minute with a stand mixer, and about two minutes if beating by hand with a whisk or wooden spoon. Stir in vanilla.

5. When the chocolate is warm, but no longer hot, pour it into the egg mixture, stirring to blend well. Sift the flour mixture over the batter in three additions, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold in each addition before adding the next.

6. Scrape the batter into the pan and place in the oven on a middle rack. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, the surface is shiny and set and may be cracking at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before cutting.

Regan Daley cautions not to overbake because you are aiming for a gooey, chewy texture.

[Recipe from Kitchenography]

by Kelly Olejnik

Whether you’re single, taken, figuring out what “it’s complicated” even means, or just waiting for Josh Peck to show up at your door with that pizza you ordered (talk about a dream Valentine’s Day, please and thank you), you have friends and those friends are worthy of some love. This Galentine’s Day, Kelly Olejnik shows us how to treat your true ride-or-dies to the meal they deserve: The Taco Bar.

First Course

One time someone told me I will make my future husband very happy, very full and maybe a little drunk (on MY LOVE, they must have meant). Until I’m whisked away by said future husband, I’ve been sharing my heart with my friends via the best way I know how—food and drinks. Because the last time I checked, margaritas and pomegranate guacamole is how you say, “Hey friend, I love and appreciate you” in Spanish.

Cocktail Ingredients 

3 ounces (2 shots) silver tequila

2 ounces lime juice

1 ounce simple syrup

1 teaspooon Triple Sec

Lime wedges

Course sea salt

Ice

Directions

(Serves 1-2)

1. Rim glasses with lime wedge, then roll the rim of the glass in salt. Set glasses aside.

2. To a cocktail shaker* filled with ice, add tequila, lime juice, simple syrup and triple sec. Cover shaker, shake it up and pour over ice in salt rimmed glasses.

3. Garnish with lime wedge and pass these bad boys around!

[Recipe from FoodNetwork.com]

*Pro-tip: Instead of a cocktail shaker, add the ingredients in step 2 to a blender full of ice for an easy blended marg.

Pomegranate Guacamole Ingredients 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pomegranate arils

2 ripe avocados, skin and pit removed

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 large jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt to taste

Tortilla chips of choice

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mash avocado and mix in lime zest and juice, red onion, jalapeño and garlic. Season to taste with salt.

2. Stir in pomegranate arils.

3. Serve with tortilla chips.

[Recipe from PomWonderful.com]

Main Course

While your friends are preoccupied with drinks and apps, it’s time to set up the main event: The Taco Bar. Like dating, a taco bar is full of options and kind of overwhelming, but when you find the perfect combination of meat and cheese, there is no taco you could ever love more. Be your friends’ wingwoman, give them a taco bar, provide them with options, make a match made in heaven and prepare to have this recipe on hand because a second, third and tenth date with these tacos will be requested over and over again. 

Ingredients

1 pound fresh mahi mahi*

1 packet taco seasoning

1/2 head iceberg lettuce

1 tomato

2 cups Cheddar cheese

1 small white onion

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

Vegetable oil

Flour tortillas

Thousand Island dressing

*Not into fish? Sub it out for ground turkey! Just as easy to cook, just as delicious to eat.

Directions

(Serves 4-6)

1. Prep taco bar toppings. Chop up iceberg lettuce, dice the tomato and grate the cheese. Place toppings into separate bowls and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

2.Chop onion and all bell peppers into strips.

3. Drizzle vegetable oil into pan. Once oil and pan have heated, add onions and peppers. Cook veggies until roasted. You may sprinkle taco seasoning on the vegetables while cooking for a little kick.

4. Remove skin of mahi mahi and chop into cubes. If using ground meat, skip this step.

5. Heat up large pan on stove on high. Once pan is nice and hot, toss in all mahi mahi and begin to cook, stirring/flipping fish occasionally to begin cooking on all sides.

6. When the majority of the fish has been cooked—indicated by white color—sprinkle the entire packet of taco seasoning over the contents of pan. Use spatula to fold and mix in seasoning.

7. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook the fish thoroughly.

8. Set out all toppings, tortillas, sauces* and taco meat on a table.

9. Holla to your friends that the taco bar is ready and they may come serve themselves.

*Pro-tip: thousand island dressing is bomb on fish tacos.

[Fish taco recipe adapted by Kelly from years of experience and a lot of taste-testing]