A simple, sexy Valentine's Day menu

Less cooking, more... other stuff

I love a good date night at home, and this is especially true on Valentine’s Day. I mean, restaurants are great but even my favorite will lose a little bit of its luster when I’m sitting elbow to elbow with strangers in a fully-booked dining room, perusing a prix fixe menu I have no desire to eat.

So home we go. It is, after all, where the heart is. Now there are a million and one directions you can go in for an at-home Valentine’s Day date night dinner, but my preference is to serve a menu that’s simple, straightforward, and sexy. Something that won’t take hours but will definitely impress. Something you can cook together, if that’s your thing, but also that you can cook solo while chatting with your date as they watch and swoon. And believe me, swoon they will.

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So, that’s exactly what I’m bringing you today. It’s a meal that’s beginner-friendly but wow-worthy, won’t take forever to make so you can move along to, ahem, other things, and will taste damn delicious.

It’s four courses, though you can definitely eliminate the salad and make it even simpler (the salad is, actually, the most complicated dish on the menu). We have a quick no-cook appetizer for you to snack on while you cook, a full-of-texture take on a Caesar salad, a red wine pasta that will honestly get you drunk a little, and a nostalgic dessert with nature’s ultimate aphrodisiac, Rice Krispies cereal.

Before we start

• Make sure to use a sturdy kettle cooked chip for the appetizer — you want something that can hold the heft of the toppings without crumbling.

• For the pasta, we’re going to boil our spaghetti in red wine and use red wine to create a buttery sauce. The result is a stunningggg red pasta that is so, so full of flavor.

• This pasta recipe relies heavily on the red wine — it’s the main ingredient. There is no substituting. If you’d prefer something with no alcohol for your main course, I’d suggest either my lemony bacon, leek, and rosemary shells, my pistachio and castelvetrano olive spaghetti, or my classic pomodoro.

• I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the best drink to pair with a meal is the one you enjoy drinking. However, if I had to give you pairing suggestions, I’d say to enjoy the appetizer with either a dirty martini or a glass of Champagne, and then move on to sipping whatever red wine you use to make your sauce for the remainder of the meal. Espressos with dessert would also be perfection.

The recipes

Chips With Dijon, Prosciutto, Parm, and Peperoncini

I first made these as a little snack standing over my counter in that weird time-does-not-exist time between Christmas and New Year’s and immediately knew I had to find a reason to share them. I’ve seen people making “nachos” with chips, cured meat, and spicy pickled peppers and these are kind of a one-bite version of those that are much, much easier to eat. They take just a couple mins to assemble and are so fun to munch on. No exact measurements here — just assemble as many as you’d like.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• Kettle cooked chips

• Dijon mustard (I’m obsessed with Maille’s Rich Country Dijon lately)

• Thinly sliced prosciutto (thin is key here!)

• Parmesan cheese, cut into little shards/slices

• Peperoncini, sliced

Grab as many flat chips as you can find in the bag, as these are easier to pile ingredients on top of. Spread a little Dijon on each, then drape prosciutto on top. Finish with a little cheese shard and a peperoncini slice.

Roasted Broccoli and Radicchio Caesar With Spicy Tahini Caesar Dressing

A very untraditional Caesar with a spicy, umami-rich dressing and sooo much texture. Use rotisserie chicken or use this method to cook your breasts at home. Also, homemade croutons are a must.

Cook time: 30 minutes

For the roasted broccoli:

• 2 small or 1 large head broccoli, florets separated from stalk

Cut florets into bite-sized pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 425 for 10-15 minutes, flipping at the halfway mark, until fork tender and charred on the outside. Keep a close eye on them as they can go from perfect to burnt in a couple of minutes! Cut the tough bottom portion off the stalks, and use a sharp knife to peel the tough outer layer. Thinly slice with a sharp knife or a mandoline.

For the croutons:

• About 1/3 of a baguette, torn into bite-sized chunks

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• salt and pepper

Toss baguette chunks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 425 until golden and crispy, about 4-7 minutes (can do this at the same time as the broccoli!).

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup tahini

• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

• 3 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp + calabrian chilis (more if you want it spicier)

• 3 + anchovies

• 1 garlic clove

• lots of black pepper

• salt

• Water to thin

Blend all ingredients together, adding water 1 tbsp at a time until you reach your desired consistency (the tahini and lemon together will thicken up quite a bit before you start adding water).

For assembly:

• Roasted broccoli + thinly sliced stalk

• Croutons

• 1 head radicchio, leaves separated and torn into bite-sized pieces

• 3 cups cooked chicken

• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

• 1/2 cup + parmesan cheese

Toss salad ingredients with about half of the dressing. Add more as needed. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Red Wine Spaghetti

There’s something so romantic about spaghetti. Maybe it’s that scene from Lady and the Tramp, or the fact that Denis and I spent our honeymoon eating spaghetti all over Italy, but I’ve always considered it an ultimate date night food! This red wine spaghetti is super-duper easy but is really a showstopper.

Cook time: 20 minutes

• 1 bottle + 1 cup red wine (something not too oaky, and that you’d actually drink!)

• 1/2 lb spaghetti

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 4 tbsp butter

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

• Salt

Add your bottle of wine plus 4 cups of water to a large pot along with some salt and bring to a boil. Add your spaghetti and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and starting to brown, 3-5 minutes. Add 1 cup red wine and butter and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until slightly reduced. Add your al dente pasta, a couple of ladles of pasta water, and the Parmesan cheese. Continue to cook until a glossy sauce coats all of the pasta. Serve with more Parmesan cheese.

Salted Chocolate, Cherry, and Pistachio Rice Krispies Treats

I know, I know — Rice Krispies treats? For Valentine’s Day? But trust me, these are not your typical childhood treat. The cherries, chocolate, and pistachio takes them to the next level. A very grown up, very delicious take on this classic. Plus, they taste perf with coffee the next morning.

Cook time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour resting

• 4 oz salted butter (1 stick)

• 10 oz marshmallows

• 1 ml pistachio extract (optional — adds more pistachio flavor but not necessary! Still good without it)

• 4 cups cocoa Krispies cereal

• 2/3 cup maraschino cherries, roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup pistachio pieces

Topping:

• 1/2 tsp coconut oil

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

• Maldon salt

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium heat. Keep heating, stirring frequently, until butter begins to foam and milk solids have turned a light brown. Reduce heat to low, add marshmallows, and stir constantly until halfway melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until marshmallows are completely melted. Add pistachio extract and stir. Add in Rice Krispies, cherries, and pistachios, and stir until well combined.

Press into a parchment-lined 8x8 baking dish. Let set for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, heat coconut oil and chocolate chips together either in the microwave in 30 second intervals or using a double broiler. Drizzle over Rice Krispies treats, sprinkle Maldon salt on top, and cut into squares.

Valentine's Day Menu

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