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      Romantic Valentine's Recipes

        What's in season :

     Veg' : Brussel sprouts, cabbage (various), carrots, celeriac, celery, chicory, endives, Jerusalem artichokes,
                    kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnips,;sweet potatoes, swede, turnips.

     Fruit : apples, pears, rhubarb.

     Fish & sea food : Cod, sea bass, whiting, crab, mussels, oysters.

     Game : Goose, grouse, hare, mallard, partridge, pheasant, snipe, woodcock, wood pigeon.

          

      Asparagus and walnut hearts, served with a tangy ginger and lemongrass sauce

This dish comprises tender strips of asparagus, carrots, spring onions, mushrooms and crunchy walnuts, all nestling on a bed of fluffy rice with a tangy, ginger and lemongrass sauce. To create an extra special romantic effect, you will need the use of 2 x 10cm/4 inch wide heart shaped cutters or dishes.

Ingredients:

4 spring onions, 1 level tbsp peeled and grated fresh root ginger, 170g/6 oz asparagus (trimmed and cut into short lengths), 170g/6 oz washed, peeled and finely diced carrots, cut into matchstick sized pieces, 170g/6 oz diced button mushrooms, 120ml/4fl oz vegetable stock, 11/2 tbsp soy sauce, 120g/4oz long grain rice, 30g/1oz chopped walnuts vegetable oil for frying.

Method:(serves 2).

In a large frying pan, fry the ginger, lemongrass and spring onions for approx' 30 mins. Next, add the asparagus and continue frying for a further two minutes. Then add both the carrots and mushrooms to the pan and again continue frying for a few minutes longer. Pour in the stock and soy sauce, cover and cook over a moderate heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the rice in boiling, salty water (add a few drops of lemon juice to the water during cooking to prevent the rice sticking). When ready, drain and rinse under hot water. Then leave to rest, covered in the pan until required. To serve, place the heart shaped cutters/dishes on warmed plates and fill to a depth of 25mm/1 inch with the cooked rice, top with the asparagus mixture and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts.

 

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    Fillet of pork with chestnuts, blackberries and wild mushroons

This is a lovely dish to make for that special someone in your life and perfect for this time of year.
Reminiscent of summer past, the rich mix of flavours and textures, belies the simplicity of its making and it's a
great way of using stores of wild mushrooms and blackberries, harvested earlier in the year. If ,however,these
aren't readily to hand, use frozen blackberries and bottled or dried mushrooms instead. If the latter prove too
costly, simply substitute ordinary field mushrooms instead.

Ingredients:

2 lean, medium sized pork fillet steaks, 15g/1/2 oz cultivated mushrooms, 50g/2oz wild mushrooms (if using dried,leave to soak in boiling water overnight and use the liquid to make the stock), 15ml/1 tbsp blackberry jam, 15ml/1 tbsp blckberry vinegar(optional), 150ml/ 1/4 pt vegetable stock, 25g/1oz peeeled, cooked chestnuts50ml/2 fl oz port, 250g/2 oz whole blackberries, vegetable oil/ butter for frying. sakt and pepper for seasoning.

Method: (serves 2)

Keep a handful of chestnuts to one side for garnishing and chop the rest into small pieces. Using a metal kitchen mallet, tenderise the steaks and trim away any excess fat. In a frying pan, sauté the cultivated mushrooms for a few minutes before adding the chopped cooked chestnuts. Continue frying for a further few minutes then add the port to the pan and let the mixture bubble to remove the alcohol. Next, add the blackberry jam, wild mushrooms, stock and blackberry vinegar, (if avsailable) and continue cooking for a few minutes more. stir well to ensure the contents are well mixed, reduce the heat and allow to simmer to allow the liquid to reduce down to thicken into a syrup. In a separate pan, gently fry the steaks in a little butter or oil, until lightly browned on both sides. Add enought of the blackberry sauce mixture to the steaks to prevent then from drying out during cooking, cover and leave to cook over a medium heat. If necessary, add more of the sauce mixture to the pan so keep the steaks nice and moist during cooking. Once the steaks are tender, remove from the pan and keep warm. To the remaining pan juices, add the whole blackberries and chestnut halves and gently cook for 3 minutes until warmed through without losing texture. When ready to serve, place the steaks on warm serving plates, drizzle with the blackberry sauce and top with the whole blackberries and chestnut halves. Serve on a bed of rice or, with fresh seasonal vegetables.

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 Strawberry pancakes with chantilly cream and champagne jelly hearts

This is a delicious romantic dessert to finish with - easy to make and not too heavy on the digestive system. This recipe can also be easily adapted for use on Shrove Tuesday. Pancakes are extremely versatile and much underated. If savoury fillings are substituted for sweet ones, they make great main meals or, can even be used as an addition to party food.

Ingredients:

FOR THE PANCAKES (makes about 8) 125g/41 /2 oz plain flour, a pinch of salt,1 meduim sized egg, appeox' 275ml/1 /2pt milk, a small amount of oil for frying.

FOR THE CHANTILLYCREAM 150ml/1/4 pt double/whipping cream, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla.

FOR THE CHAMPAGNE JELLY HEARTS elderflower cordial (available in most supermarkets) made up to 275ml/12pt, 1 pkt strawberry jelly, 100ml/4 fl oz champagne. In addition, you wil need a small punnet of strawberries and a heart shaped silicon jelly mould or, glass heart shaped jelly dishes.

Method

TO MAKE THE PANCAKES Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl. Next, make a well in the centre of the flour and add the egg. Pour in half the milk and whisk together with the egg, drawing in the flour from around the sides to form a batter. Add the remainder of the milk and continue whisking until the batter has the consistency of single cream. Heat a frying pan over a relatively high heat until hot, pour in a little oil and swirl round so that the pan becomes evenly coated and pour off any excess, Return the pan to the hat and using a ladle, spoon in enough batter so that when it is swirled around the base of the pan, a thin even coat is formed. Continue cooking until the sides of the pancake begin to curl inwards away from the pan. gently slide a spatula underneath the base of the pancake to free it from the pan and when the underside is pale golden brown, flip over on to the other side. Cook as before and when ready, transfer to a warm plate until ready to serve.

TO MAKE THE CHAMPAGNE JELLY HEARTS Boil the diluted elderflower cordial and stir in half the packet of strawberry jelly and continue stirring until cooled. When cold to the touch, add the champagne and again stir to ensure the contents are well mixed. Wash and half a few of the strawberries so that they cover the base of the jelly moulds/dishes. Pour in the jelly mixture and gently tap the sides of the containers to release any air bubbles. Transfer to a fridge and leave to set.

TO MAKE THE CHANTILLY CREAM Whip the cream until it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla flavouring and continue to wisk until the cream forms soft peaks.

TO SERVE Turn the jelly hearts upside down onto individual plates and next to them, place a couple of pancakes which have been filled with a mixture of strawberries and chantilly cream. Reserve enough cream to top the jelly hearts with. Now, turn the lights down low, light the candles, cue the soft music and get set to enjoy a special night á deux - who said cooking a fabulous meal for two was hard work?

 

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