A love letter to... cooking for those you love
A Valentines day special!
‘A love letter to…’ is a biweekly publication relating to anything and everything kitschy. Today’s newsletter is about hosting a Valentines night in with your company of choice. Grab your apron (and maybe a phone) and let’s get cooking!
It’s a well-known fact among dinner-party-goers and hosts alike, that really, good company is the only *necessary* requirement for a memorable night. So, naturally, we will begin there. When choosing your menu, table setting, and even music, it’s crucial to keep your company in mind. If you’re inviting your significant other to a romantic Valentine’s evening, maybe pizza on the couch, wouldn’t be the best choice. However, if you’re throwing a desperation galentines, pizza on the couch + The Sopranos + a super acidic salad = a night to remember. That’s not to say you can’t take shortcuts if you’re erring on the side of romance this Valentines, on the contrary, I urge you to1. Dinner parties aren’t really about the food (however much it pains me to say) and whilst a well-planned menu is a lovely way to show love, it’s not the only one.
Setting the table with some silverware, that’s love. Lighting the room with only candles and fairy lights, that’s love. Buying a store-bought dessert because you just can’t even, that’s love. Hosting is love, and if you maintain enjoyment and comfortability as your baseline, I guarantee, your guest will feel that too.
When hosting a dinner for two (or more, you do you!) I like to follow a couple of guidelines, not strictly, but I do find it helpful to have a fall-back list in case life happens and all of a sudden it’s the 14th and I only have scented candles.
Keep a Pinterest board handy. I know this can be a pain sometimes! Pinterest is a strange form of social media where you go for inspiration and end up comparing every facet of your life to someone who only wears organic clothes and sleeps in linen bedsheets. I get it. But having a collection of images that you can curate to fit your limitations (small apartment, no dining table, not confident in the kitchen, etc) can be a really wonderful way to be honest with yourself, and set an achievable goal for your Valentine’s dinner.
Set an achievable goal! Following on from the last point about limitations, if you set a goal to make the perfect macaron, but you have never attempted to whip egg whites, chances are, you might fail, which is fine! But not when your guest is set to be arriving any second and you’re still trying to form stiff peaks. If you know you don’t feel comfortable in the kitchen, don’t make everything homemade! If you know you don’t have a kitchen table, don’t rush to buy the newest linen runner because Google told you that’s how you create a sophisticated tablescape (true, btw.) Be congruent.
Have a game plan. If this goes down the drain, that’s fine, but having something in your back pocket that past you jotted down so you don’t even have to tackle the (sometimes laborious) task of planning everything day-of, is immensely helpful. My game plan usually includes: the menu, my grocery list, what I will prep in advance2, and my timeline for cooking.
I have one final thing I want to cover before diving into the menus, the piece de resistance, if you will. Ambiance.
Lighting is key. I am a well-known hater of overhead lighting. If you don’t want to splurge, long-stemmed candles (unscented, please!) are the perfect way to create a comfortable and loving atmosphere without actually putting all that much effort or thought into it. However, if you are looking to splurge, this brand has a very chic line of shaped candles, I am particularly fond of the grape one.
Music! This can vary based on company, If you’re hosting a wine and cheese night, this soundtrack of a French dinner party would fit the atmosphere perfectly, whereas if you're hosting a romantic evening for two, this soft jazz would be the perfect compliment to a bowl pasta, and some shortcut tahini brownies to finish.
A host’s attitude. This is most important thing to remember. If you get anything out of this newsletter, I hope it will be this: Feeding someone is a gift, it’s your gift to them, it’s a way of showing love, it’s a way of saying ‘I care for you.’ Regardless of whether you cook the menu, or just grab takeout, if you have a dining table, or if you have a floor picnic (or a real one, if the weather agrees). Your guest will feel cared for! You are taking labor out of their hands, and turning it into an action of love. Please remember that when you’re albow-deep in macaron-making and discovered you used almond flour rather than ground almonds. Outsource! Food doesn’t matter, attitude does.
Now, for the menus!! These menus can range from being able to be made up to 48 hours in advance (thank you Ottolenghi!) To being quickly executed the hour before (thank you pizza place + boxed brownies). So you can choose a menu based on if you planned in advance, and your kitchen capabilities.
Please- do not be deterred by the name This menu is full of Ottolenghi’s more simple recipes, you know, ones that don’t have black garlic in, nor do they take a few days to complete. Although, those are undoubtedly delicious too, but perhaps more appropriate for a dinner for one, on a low-stakes Tuesday evening in the Summer.
Appetizer: set out some (storebought!) warm marinated olives for your guest to pick on whilst you finish your (pre) made dishes with plenty of herbs, you can also make these yourself using this recipe.
Main Event: Chickpeas and chard with yogurt, with steamed rice (storebought or homemade,) and a stunning beet orange salad
Dessert: A nutty rosemary and citrus chocolate tart.
If you can’t even, at the thought of hosting dinner! In the dead of winter! At night! And would much rather be in bed by 9:30, perhaps hosting Galentine’s brunch is more your speed. It requires a little more prep in advance3. However, it can run a little more smoothly, especially if you tell each guest the start time based on their history of being 10 minutes early or 30 minutes late.
Drink: Hibiscus iced tea.
Main spread: Curry chicken salad, Greek orzo salad, Market salad with lime vinaigrette, plus some crusty bakery bread.
Dessert: Outsource carrot cake! I’m always surprised at how good certain cafe’s carrot cake can be, but if this isn’t an option, or you’d just prefer to make your own, this recipe is great and very allergen-friendly.
Although this menu doesn’t include citrus, it does include the under-sung hero of fall and winter; pears. It’s essentially the peach of cold-weather cooking. It pears (pun intended) wonderfully with hearty herbs; thyme, rosemary, and tarragon.
Appetizer: Spiced nuts
Main Event: Peach and rosemary chicken (use pear), roasted asparagus4, and garlicky cauliflower mash.
Dessert: A really delicious vanilla ice cream, the main requirement for deliciousness is visible vanilla specks.
On the contrary; if you’re currently residing in somewhere that has already begun celebrating the abundance of asparagus- consider me jealous- this menu might be more appropriate for you, full of lemon dill (or parsley, if that’s more your speed), fresh Atlantic salmon, and really good butter.
Appetizer: My favorite fancy salad + Good butter with some flaky sea salt, outsource a crusty baguette.
Main Event: Simple baked salmon with lemon dill mashed potatoes and asparagus.
Shortcut: Do it all on a sheet pan, and top with yogurt sauce.
Dessert: Glazed lemon tarts with raspberries (or buy a lemon tart with raspberries from the fresh counter at whatever grocery store you shop at, if they don’t have one with raspberries, just grab them separately, add them on top and dust with powdered sugar to finish).
Many people (including myself) would associate romance most with spaghetti, but I’d like to make an argument for the less slurpy noodle of rigatoni.
It holds on to sauce and is far easier to make glossy and well-coated, thanks to its tubular shape.
It’s so much fun to eat! Spaghetti may win on the romantic end (thank you Lady and the Tramp) but it’s undeniable that rigatoni is just the right amount of slurpy yet hearty, and doesn’t just disappear down your throat
It’s far less messy- when eating spaghetti, I always end up with a remnant of the sauce on my nose, which can be particularly problematic if it’s a red sauce, even more so if you’re hosting a new dining partner, who doesn’t tell you that you’re wearing your meal until the dishes are done. Also, if your guest happens to be wearing red lipstick, I highly doubt they would be fond of running the risk of smudging it, which is easily avoidable- with rigatoni!
Appetizer: Whipped ricotta and honey crostini - top with thyme leaves. If you’re going for a dairy free app, this ‘ricotta’ is delicious.
Main Event: Vodka pasta5 + an arugula / fennel / apple / parmesan / pepita salad with olive oil + lemon to finish.
Dessert: Finish the night with an affogato, or simply serve an espresso shot with your favorite amaretto biscuits, these are a fab shortcut, and you can get them at most grocery stores too.
If you are reading this a mere couple of hours before your Valentine’s dinner, do not worry- I have curated a menu, especially for you! I don’t have time to sell you on this! Trust me! I have written out a game plan, so you don’t even have to think, just do!
Appetizer: Skip it! If it’s too fussy, just don’t! I’d rather you focus on creating a comfortable atmosphere, and feeling as though you have time. If you would, however, like to throw in an appetizer, pile (or beautifully arrange) whatever crackers, briny things, fruit, and cheese you’ve got. This is ever adaptable; Apples or grapes would be preferable, but any sliced fruit would work, If you have no cheese, use a dip! No crackers? Use potato chips. No briny things? As a very enthusiastic lover of olives and pickles, I can’t really help you out there…
Main event: Call a pizza place nearby! Pre-order, or actually order, a couple pizzas, make sure to cater to dietary restrictions + preferences here, there are so many options now! I always find it safer to just order the classics, especially if it’s a good, thin, and airy pizza. At the last moment (as in, your guests are probably already here, and the pizza is at the door) toss any greens you’ve got with an acidic salad dressing (1 part extra virgin olive oil, 1 part acid, 1 grated garlic clove, and optionally, a little minced shallot).
Dessert: Use this boxed brownie trick, for honeyed tahini brownies with flaky sea salt.
Et voila!!
Before I sign off, I’d like to leave a note for anyone dining alone this Valentine’s (like me!) You can still cook for someone you love this year (you) and you can still make it special, light a candle, watch your favorite movie whilst you cook (or assemble!) I know that it’s a little more difficult to compile a proper meal (read: not just random odds and ends) for one, and there will be a newsletter to come on that! But, for now, I’ve included how to adapt a couple of the menus to serve one, and a couple of bonus ideas to hopefully help you out.
The Ottolenghi main would hold up fabulously in the fridge, and the honeyed tahini brownies would freeze beautifully.
The sheet pan salmon + potatoes would be the perfect fancy-feeling, yet sneakily easy, dinner for one, just freeze the other salmon filet, or buy a single one fresh from your fishmonger if that’s available, and for dessert, store-bought ice cream is always an option, and always a delicious one6!
The brunch menu would be fabulous meal prep, just assemble buffet style when it comes to dinner (or lunch, or breakfast, or brunch) time- the best part about cooking for yourself if that there are no rules!
This spin on aglio olio is a wonderful quick, and pantry-focused dinner, bonus points if you manage to grab something on the fudgy rich side for dessert; these tahini chocolate squares, brownies, chocolate gelato, these cookies- you get the idea.
This lemon dill baked rice feels shockingly fancy, especially if you use cherry tomatoes and add a spring of fresh rosemary; saute those with the aromatics before toasting and baking a short-grain rice of your choosing, but, if you don’t have the time or the energy, it’s delicious as written too, and holds up well in the fridge whatever way you choose to bake. For dessert, these chocolate fudge oat bars would be wonderful, but, if you can’t even: pick up your favorite chocolate and a sumo orange, melt the chocolate, half-dip each segment, top with flaky sea salt, and refrigerate until hardened (10 ish minutes.)
My menu-creating abilities seem to be endless, so, to stop myself from writing about all of the possible things you could cook, and all of the ways that hosting (or cooking for) someone shows love, I will end this week’s newsletter here. Send me an email, or a comment, if one of these menus makes it out of this post, and into your kitchen. I’d love to hear about it. If you enjoyed this love letter, and are interested in receiving more, subscribe to be sent bi-weekly emails, and hit the heart button just below. Until next time, happy cooking!
I will warn you: I am going to be indistinguishable from chef Auguste Gusteau, because when he said ‘anyone can cook!’ I very much took it to heart.
This is the key or less stressful dinner parties! I like to chop vegetables, make dessert (admittedly, a rare occurrence), and set the table. Even if the prep is buying pre-chopped vegetables and pre-made sauces. Again, I’d like to remind you- that assembling something is still labor! It is still cooking! You are still hosting!
Unless you are the type of person who loves to be up cooking at 7 AM, which I, am not.
If you can’t find asparagus, make this green salad, or use green beans.
Use full-fat canned coconut milk, as shown in this recipe if you don’t want to be stuck with a half carton of heavy cream.
If you have an urge to zuzh up your ice cream, I have many ideas; Poach a pear + top with ice cream, bake apple slices and add those + walnuts as a garnish, make a speedy berry compote by heating frozen berries + water + lemon, drizzle with a little olive oil and top with crushed pistachios…
This is so so good! Love all the menu recommendations.