Your Valentines Menu
Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to make that little bit more effort than usual, so why not whip up a completely new recipe? All of the recipes below are great main courses – so work any other courses you are planning around this. We have one fish, one meat and one vegetarian recipe for you to choose from – enjoy!
Prawns in Black Chilli Sauce
This is a tasty and different dish to create and it’s so quick. Ideal for a starter course or if served for a main course, serve with a large green salad and a dollop of plain yoghurt.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1 tbsp almonds, blanched
- 1 fresh red pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes or dried chillies, seeded and crumbled
- 1 1/2 whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 short-length cinnamon stick
- 1/2 glass red wine
- 1/2 tsp orange zest, grated
- 1 tbsp dark cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1/2 tin plum tomatoes
- A little vinegar
- 12g large raw prawns, peeled
- Fresh coriander leaves
- 1/2 lime, cut into quarters
- large green salad, to serve
- 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
Serves 2
Method
- Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a heavy pan. Fry the garlic and onion until they are soft and a little caramelised, then drop them into a food processor
- Toast the almonds briefly in the dry pan and add them to the processor
- Pour the rest of the oil into the pan and fry the peppers, dried chillies and spices for a moment
- Add the red wine and orange zest and bubble up until the steam no longer smells of alcohol
- Transfer to the processor, add the cocoa and tomatoes and whizz until you have a smooth sauce
- Return the sauce to the pan, bubble up, turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently, until the sauce is thick and dark. Taste and add some salt, plus a splash of vinegar to sharpen the flavour
- When you are ready to serve, reheat the sauce, stir in the prawns and bubble up until they turn opaque (no more than 2-3 minutes)
- Ladle into bowls filled with green salad and finish with a sprinkle of coriander leaves, a tablespoon of plain yoghurt and a lime quarter for squeezing
Beef in Oyster Sauce
This dish is quick and simple to make and will providing you with a healthy and delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 175g sirloin steak, trimmed of fat
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1/2 tsp cornflour
- 1/2 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1/2 green pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 40ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
Serves 2
Method
- Cut the beef into finger-size strips
- Put the soy sauce, wine or sherry and cornflour into a bowl and stir until combined
- Add the beef, stirring to coat, and leave to marinate for 15 minutes
- Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a wok or large frying pan until hot. Lift the beef out of the marinade, reserving the liquid, and add it to the pan. Stir-fry for 3 minutes
- Lift out the beef and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the pepper for 1-2 minutes, then set aside with the beef
- Carefully wipe the wok or pan clean and reheat it
- Add the stock and oyster sauce and bring to the boil
- Whisk in the reserved marinade and simmer for 2 minutes
- Return the beef and peppers to the pan with any juices, and quickly heat through
- Check the seasoning, garnish with spring onions and serve immediately with a large green salad
Marinated Tofu
Marinated tofu is brilliant at taking on the flavours of the marinade. Tofu itself is fairly tasteless but once it has soaked up these ingredients it is transformed.
Ingredients
- Zest (finely grated) and juice of 1 lime
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 75g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 and 1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 150g silken tofu (2.5cm cubes)
- Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Serves 2
Method
- In a large bowl, mix together the lime zest and juice, spring onion, chilli, cherry tomatoes, poppy seeds and olive oil, and season
- Add the cubes of tofu and carefully toss in the marinade – if you are too rough, the tofu will crumble
- Sprinkle over the coriander and check the seasoning
- Serve with a large green salad
