Easy Valentine’s Day Recipes to Sweep Your Partner Off Their Feet
If restaurants are full then, here are some recipes you can whip up for Valentine’s Day.
Since restaurants will be full this Valentine’s Day, we may have to do a little homecooking. Especially since for this 2024, Valentine’s Day falls on the same day as Ash Wednesday which means some meat dishes are off-limits. Plus, if no one can watch the kids or be away from the baby for too long, we’ll have to keep things at home. Here are some easy recipes we can cook at home for Valentine’s Day.
Oyster Rockefeller
- 6 Oysters
- Bread Crumbs
- Basil
- Parsley
- Oregano
- Spinach
- Mozarella Cheese
- 6 Garic Cloves, minced
- Rock salt
- Black peppermill grind (coarse)
Clean the oysters by taking off one of its shells before immersing it in a salt, vinegar, and water bath for 15 minutes. Do this at least twice to make sure there’s no sand or dirt in the oysters.
While soaking the oysters, take the spinach leaves and blanch them in hot water for 2 minutes. Then, chop them into finer strips before placing it on the oyster with mozarella cheese, minced garlic, black pepper, and bread crumbs on top. Bake until the cheese has golden brown spots then serve with lemon wedges.
Tips/ Alternatives
- If mozzarella cheese is unavailable, cream cheese or Quickmelt cheese is a good alternative for stringy, melted goodness.
- Feel free to swap the bread crumbs for roasted garlic chips for the extra crunch.
- If spinach isn’t available then, moringa (AKA malunggay) offers the same fibrous texture and is easier to find too.
Chocolate-dipped Strawberries
- 250 grams of strawberries
- 1 dark chocolate bar
- 1/8 cup of condensed milk
Melt the chocolate bar in a glass bowl on top of a pot with boiling water until its liquid. Then, mix it with condensed milk. Once fully mixed, start dipping the strawberries and laying them out on a tray to freeze for 4 hours. To thaw, move them to the refrigerator and chill until the date.
Tip/ Alternatives
- You can also melt the chocolate bar in the microwave for over 2 1/2 on high.
- For a sugar-free alternative, melt a tableya in hot water while adding either stevia or monk fruit sugar to the mix.
- If there are no strawberries, feel free to use bananas or apples too!
Lemon Butter Salmon
- 250 grams salmon steaks
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 lemon
- Rosemary
- 6 cloves of Garlic, minced
- Thyme
- Basil
- Salt
- Pepper
Heat the pan for 3-4 minutes before putting the butter. In the butter, throw in the rosemary, thyme, basil, and minced garlic. Stir to prevent them from burning then place the salmon with the skin-side down. This will make sure the salmon achieves that crispy skin we like so much. While searing it, scoop some of the heated butter and pour it onto the salmon until the meat turns pink.
Salmon can go either with mashed potatoes, salad, or even just plain rice with buttered corn and carrots.
Tips/ Alternatives
- If there is no salmon available in the market, other fish like Tanigue, Gindara, or Malasugi (Swordfish) will be a nice change of pace.
- The same recipe can be applied to Sugpo (Prawns) or Suahe (Shrimp).
- For accompanying sides, we suggest something acidic like a salad with vinaigrette dressing or something rich like creamy mashed potatoes.
Linguine Vongole
- 250 grams Halaan (Manila Clam)
- 500 grams Linguine noodles
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 native tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 4 bell peppers (2 red, 2 green), thinly sliced and roasted
- salt
- pepper
- parsley
- basil
- thyme
- olive oil
Soak the clams in water, vinegar, and salt for 15 minutes to clean and extract the sand. While waiting, roast the bell peppers in a pan to bring out its smoky flavor. Boil the noodles until slightly al dente.
Next, cook the clams in olive oil, white wine, garlic, pepper, salt, and parsely for 5-9 minutes before putting the noodles and the bell peppers into the same pan as the clams. Add half a ladle of the water used to boil the noodles before adding the sliced tomatoes. Toss and then serve.
Tips/Alternatives
- Feel free to mix up the shellfish by adding tahong (mussels) or batotoy (cowrie clams).
- Bellpeppers are optional.
- To add a little spice, some dried chili flakes can do the trick.
Truffle Cream Pasta with Mushroom and Spinach
- 500 grams of Spaghetti
- 150 grams spinach leaves
- 200 grams of dried shitake mushrooms
- Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tetrapack All-Purpose Cream
- 1/4 cup butter
- Salt
- pepper
- 1 tbsp of truffle oil
Boil the noodles with the shitake mushrooms. That way, the mushroom flavor will mix with rhe noodles. While boiling, make the sauce by sautéing the spinach with salt, pepper, and butter for 3 minutes. Next, put in the cream and stir it continuously so it doesn’t burn. Once the noodles and mushrooms are done, drain and mix with the cream sauce. Toss with the truffle oil then dust with parmesan cheese before serving.
Tips/Alternatives
- If fresh spinach isn’t available, frozen spinach is a good alternative.
- If there’s no dried shitake mushrooms, canned ones are okay and you can even use the brine that came with the mushrooms to boil the noodles. Add oil to prevent them from sticking together.
- Bechamel sauce is the fancier alternative wherein we mix butter and flour to make a roux before mixing milk and cheese to serve as the cream.
Don’t forget to practice the recipes a bit before the actual date!
We’re always trying to make things perfect on Valentine’s Day because it’s a way of rekindling things between us and our partner. Because parenting is constantly challenging our capacity to love and be patient, we subconsciously harden our hearts towards our partners especially when we feel unappreciated for all the things we do at home.
Sometimes, a home-cooked Valentine’s Day recipe does better than a restaurant-made one. Especially for the health-conscious ones, we at least know what goes in the food!
Looking for more recipes or Valentine’s Day-related info?
How Parents Can Have the Best Valentine’s Date at Home
Date-worthy Restaurants in BGC for Valentine’s Day: 2024 Edition
