With February 14 right around the corner, the pressure to impress that special someone is on; bring on the kitschy heart-shaped decorations, the lovey-dovey PDA, the 20-course candlelit dinners. Expect hiked prices and sore eyes, as the only colours in sight this week will be garish shades of pink and red. Need inspiration? Look no further. As your culinary Cupid, my role is to guide you through the love-or-hate holiday better known as Valentine’s Day, whether you plan on celebrating this day with a partner, your group of friends, or simply enjoying your own company.
This Valentine’s Day, I have decided that I want to stay in. I love going out to eat, but with rising prices, I find myself choosing my outings very wisely. More importantly, I’ve had my dose of thoughtless Valentine’s Day specials over time, you know, the ones with all the aphrodisiacs — chocolate, oysters, chocolate-covered oysters, etc. Cue the couple arguing at the table beside us and Ed Sheeran blasting in the background. Needless to say, the proposal in the middle of dinner was my final straw. Sometimes, a Valentine’s Day dinner date can be a bit too much.
“To me, Valentine’s Day is the perfect incentive to cook something out of the ordinary for my loved ones or practise some much-needed self-care, brightening an otherwise banal weeknight.”
By no means am I suggesting that you should not celebrate Valentine’s Day — I mean, sure, its modern incarnation has always been a hyper-commercialised ritual of mass-consumerism, but at its core, the holiday remains a celebration of affection. To me, Valentine’s Day is the perfect incentive to cook something out of the ordinary for my loved ones or practise some much-needed self-care, brightening an otherwise banal weeknight. At-home dining also offers the possibility of cooking as a group, my favourite activity to do with my boyfriend. Can you tell that food is my love language? Preparing a meal together is a fool-proof way to avoid disaster on this special day; together, you can savour the fruits of your labour in each other’s company, savouring dessert over a movie.
Some general tips for the Valentine’s Day cooks: stick to three courses: entrée, main, and dessert. If you’re planning an elaborate meal, you don’t want to spend a whole evening cooking only to devour your meal in under 30 minutes. Secondly, avoid cooking something completely unfamiliar, so save the velouté for another day (unless you’re feeling adventurous, of course). Finally, plan ahead and keep courses simple so you can take it easy as you cook — your effort already goes a long way!
To start off the meal, bake a focaccia. Topped with some cherry tomatoes, olives, anchovies, and slathered with some ricotta before serving, it’s a date night go-to for me. While the dough rises, you can prep all the ingredients you need for your main! Once it’s out of the oven, be sure to save some of it for later — bread is always nice to have on hand should you ever need to mop the plate. Alternatively, you can make virtually anything with ready-made pastry dough. Prep some bite-sized savoury canapés, a tart to cut up and share, some tiny pies, experimenting with flavours as you go! If you want to stick to the simplest of entrées, charcuterie boards are fun and easy to assemble; just be sure to leave room for the rest!
The main dish is where you get to show off your culinary prowess. Bring on the lamb medallions, the perfectly basted pork chops, and seared duck breasts. I like serving up comfort cuisine for my loved ones with some earthy noodle soups, risottos, and hearty curries. For the newer cooks, wisdom lies in the classics — a homemade pasta sauce is a failsafe option. Try one from scratch this time, taste-testing as you go, and fine-tuning according to your instincts. For even simpler options, befriend the trusty traybake — toss some vegetables and your protein of choice in olive oil and seasoning, then bake as required. That’s easy prep followed by even easier clean-up.
“Your loved ones will rejoice at the sight of a classic chocolate fondant, cheesecake, or tiramisu, but be sure to save some extra servings for the sweet tooths!”
If you went all out for your previous courses, you can tone it down a notch here, your loved ones will rejoice at the sight of a classic chocolate fondant, cheesecake, or tiramisu, but be sure to save some extra servings for the sweet tooths! Desserts can easily be prepared ahead of time, and most taste even better the next day.
Is cooking really something you want to avoid on this special day? That’s perfectly fine too. Hot and sour braised beef noodles come under a tenner per bowl at Lee’s Charming Noodles. For more Asian affairs, head down Capel Street for a plethora of budget-friendly options: Hilan offers hotpots and Arisu excels in Korean dishes. Dublin’s loveliest independent restaurants also line the sidewalks of Aungier Street all the way down to Camden Street. Mister S has mastered the grill, BIG FAN serves up scrumptious homemade dumplings (it’s closed on Valentine’s Day but worth a delayed celebration), or head down to Goose on the Loose for a sweet and savoury Valentine’s brunch. Alternatively, split a 20-inch pie from Bambino (leftovers imminent), or sure, splurge at The Ivy if you’re that unoriginal. A display of affection does not have to be unique, inventive, and completely showstopping if it is sincere. That’s amore.