Love, Live Eat!
Show your love to that special someone this valentine’s day with this deliciously seductive selection of recipes.
Mix and match from starters, mains and desserts, stuffed full of aphrodisiacs, to create the perfect romantic meal for two.
Stunning starters
Beetroot-stained Smoked Salmon with Beetroot and Walnuts
A pretty dish of beautifully coloured beetroot-stained smoked salmon with beetroot and walnuts, makes a colourful, healthy starter, requires no cooking, and easy to prepare.
Serves 2 as a starter.
Preparation time: 15 mins, plus 4-24 hours to stain the salmon
Cooking time: none
You’ll need:
1x250g pack of vacuum packed beetroot, drained
12 chives
8-12 walnut halves
1tbsp walnut oil
½ tsp sherry vinegar
sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
120g smoked salmon
2 tsp crème fraîche
2 sprigs of dill
What to do:
Take one beetroot and slice it into thin rounds. Put the salmon on a plate (if it is already sliced, then remove the plastic sheets interleaving the pieces, but arrange the slices so that they are evenly overlapping). Grind over a little pepper and lay the beetroot over the top. Cover tightly with clingfilm and put a second plate on top to weigh it down. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours (at least 4 hours).
Cut the rest of the beetroot in half, then slice into half circles about as thick as a pound coin.
Slice the chives finely on the diagonal. Break the walnuts into three or four pieces each.
Mix the sliced beetroot halves, chives, walnuts, walnut oil and sherry vinegar. Season well with salt flakes and pepper. (Up to this point can be prepared 6 hours ahead).
Just before serving, peel the beetroot circles off the salmon. Arrange the salmon, crumpling it slightly into a nest, on one large or 2 individual plates. Spoon the salad in a pile on top. Drop a dollop of crème fraîche on top. Break off tiny fronds of dill and scatter over the salad.
Recipe by: Xanthe Clay www.lovebeetroot.co.uk
Tenderstem, Horseradish, Pink Lady Apple and Toasted Hazelnut Salad
This recipe is a great example of vegetables as comfort food- it’s sweet, satisfying and tangy. Hazelnuts are an excellent source of the minerals manganese, selenium and zinc, which are said to be key minerals necessary to maintain male potency.
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 1 minute
You’ll need:
50g natural yoghurt (Yeo Valley is best)
25g creamed horseradish sauce
1 tbsp Rapeseed oil
20g toasted hazelnuts
1 Pink Lady apple
16 stems Tenderstem broccoli
1 tsp Rapeseed oil
A pinch of sea salt
100g Watercress
What to do:
Place the yoghurt, horseradish sauce and 1 tbls of rapeseed oil in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Crush the hazelnuts into chunks and set aside.
Core the Pink Lady apple and slice thinly.
Heat 1 tsp of rapeseed oil in a medium sauce pan until very hot and then add the Tenderstem. Immediately cover with a lid and shake it well to turn over the florets.
Cook on full heat for 30 seconds and then shake again.
Cook for a further 30 seconds and remove from the heat. The Tenderstem should have crisp, golden brown bits and be vibrant green. The texture should be al dente. If it is still not gone golden return to the heat in 15 seconds bursts until it is ready.
Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and toss one more time.
Place a pile of watercress on each plate, lay the Tenderstem over the top and sprinkle the apple and hazelnuts over the top. Dress generously with the horseradish, yoghurt sauce and serve whilst still hot.
recipe from: www.tenderstem.co.uk
Beetroot soup with goats cheese croutons
One of the earliest known benefits of beetroot is its use as an aphrodisiac during the Roman times. And it wasn’t all folklore as it has been found to contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of the hormones that control your sex drive.
Tenderstem, Beetroot & Toasted Seed Salad with Lemon Dressing
Show a little tenderness to the one you love with this delicious tenderstem salad. See the video above which shows how quick and easy this is to make!
Serves 2
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
You’ll need:
100g Tenderstem, stems cut in half
40g mixed seeds (e.g. sunflower, pumpkin, sesame)
½ tbsp Kikkoman Soy Sauce
125g plain cooked (vacuum packed) beetroot, drained and cut into wedges
Small bunch fresh chives, snipped
For lemon dressing:
1 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil (we used Hill Farm Oil)
Juice ½ lemon, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper & sea salt, to taste
What to do:
Make the dressing by whisking together the rapeseed oil and lemon juice to taste. Season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Set aside.
Steam or boil the Tenderstem® for 3 to 4 minutes until just tender but with a little bite.
While the Tenderstem® is cooking toast the seeds by tipping them into a small frying pan. Add Kikkoman Soy Sauce and cook over a medium heat, tossing regularly to coat all over, for about 3 minutes until the seeds are crisp and golden.
Take care not to burn them or they will taste bitter.
Arrange the cooked Tenderstem® and beetroot wedges on a plate, drizzle over the dressing and sprinkle over the toasted seeds and chives. Serve immediately.
Recipe by: www.lovebeetroot.co.uk
Magnetic mains
Pasta Vongolle
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes (5 mins if using pre-prepared shallot mix)
Cooking time: 10 minutes
You will need:
800g fresh clams, discard any opened ones
12 whole shallots, finely chopped
75g butter
2 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
2 glasses of white wine
400g cooked spaghetti or linguine
100g double cream
50g flat leaf parsley
What to Do:
Thoroughly wash the clams.
Chop the shallots into a fine dice and cook in the butter until soft, when soft add the chopped garlic and 1 glass of the white wine and reduce slightly. This can be done up to 2 /3 days in advance, cooled and kept in a sealed jar.
Place a large pan on the gas and allow this to get hot, adding the clams and the remaining white wine.
When they all start to open add the cooked spaghetti / linguine to the same pan. Then add the double cream and the cooked shallot mixture.
After 2 /3 minutes when it is all warmed through, check the seasoning and adjust if necessary and add some of the chopped parsley.
Serve in hot bowls. Then finish with the rest of the chopped parsley.
Indonesian braised Chicken in sweet Soy Sauce with Tenderstem Coconut Rice
Easy to make, this mild and sweet curry includes some delicious flavours.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
You’ll need:
For the chicken:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 chicken legs or 8 chicken thighs (abut 900g)
4 Shallots, peeled & quartered
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2cm piece root ginger, finely grated
250ml chicken stock, either homemade or made from ½ a stock cube
5 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp runny honey
1 lemongrass stalk cut in half
240g Tenderstem cut into bite-sized pieces
For the rice:
350g basmati rice
400ml tin of coconut milk
300ml water
1 lemongrass stalk, cut in half & bruised
1 tsp ground turmeric
To serve:
A small bunch of coriander, chopped
2-3 medium hot red chillies, finely chopped
What to do:
Add the vegetable oil to a large deep frying pan and set over a high heat. Fry the chicken pieces on both sides until well browned, about 8-10 minutes.
Reduce the heat a little and stir in the shallots, garlic and ginger. Pour over the chicken stock, soy sauce and honey and stir well. Tuck in the lemongrass, bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat to as low as possible and cover with a tight fitting lid or well pressed down piece of foil.
Cook for 45 minutes, then turn the chicken pieces over and cook for a further 45 minutes.
Halfway through braising the chicken, once you have turned it over, start the rice. Put all the ingredients in a heavy based saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Stir well and set aside to soak for 30 minutes. Then set over a medium heat, bring up to the boil, stir once, recover and simmer for just 1 minute. Turn off the heat, do not remove or open the lid, and leave for 12 minutes after which time the rice should have absorbed all the liquid. Fluff up with fork and discard the lemongrass.
Blanch the Tenderstem in boiling water for 3 minutes until tender but with plenty of bite. Drain and lightly fold through the rice.
Serve the chicken on top of the rice and pass the coriander and red chilli around separately for people to help themselves.
Cooks tip:
The braised chicken tastes really great the day after it is made as the flavours mature, so make it ahead of time if you prefer. Reheat in the oven, covered, at 180°C for 30-40 minutes or until piping hot.
Recipe by: www.tenderstem.co.uk
Shallot Lyonnaise Potatoes & Sauce Vierge
The herbs in this dish are where the aphrodisiac effects lie. Basil is said to stimulate the sex drive and boost fertility, whilst producing a general sense of well-being for body and mind. Tarragon is considered a “warming herb,” great for building up some body heat.
Serves 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
You’ll need:
2 x Salmon fillet or meat fillet of your choice, roasted or grilled
For the potatoes:
200g new potatoes
2 large or 4 small echalion (banana) shallots, chopped
10g flat leaf parsley, chopped
25ml vegetable oil
13g butter
For the sauce vierge:
2 large or 4 small echalion (banana) shallots, chopped
100g olive oil
100ml white wine
5g basil leaves
3g French tarragon
10g chives
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 large tomato, skinned, deseeded and chopped
What to do:
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water. Whilst they are cooking peel and chop the shallots quite finely.
Fry half the shallots in a pan with half the oil and cook until translucent. Add the white wine and reduce until almost all has evaporated. Once cooked add the rest of the olive oil to “cool it down”.
Wash, pick and chop all of the herbs and add the basil, tarragon and chives to the cool oil along with the lemon and the fine chopped tomatoes. Check and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Drain the cooked potatoes and peel and cut in half lengthways.
In a non-stick pan add the vegetable oil and allow to get hot. Then add the peeled potatoes and start to sauté off, once they start to take on a little colour, add the remaining half of the chopped shallots.
Season with salt and pepper and add the butter, continue to cook until the potatoes are thoroughly coloured and the shallots are cooked.
Add the chopped parsley and remove from the heat, drain on to clean kitchen paper
Arrange the potatoes straight onto plates and drizzle the sauce over them.
Serve with roasted salmon fillets or another fish or meat fillet of your choice.
Recipe devised by Chef Paul Collins
Recipe by:www.UKshallot.com
Lime and coriander chicken and Tenderstem rice salad
The book of The Arabian nights tells a tale of a merchant who had been childless for 40 years and but was cured by a concoction that included coriander. That book is over 1000 years old so coriander as an aphrodisiac dates back far into history.
Serves 2
Cooking & Preparation time: Ten minutes
You’ll need:
100g Tenderstem, cut into 3cm lengths
200g Greek yogurt
1 ½ tbsp fresh chopped coriander, plus extra to serve
7 Mint leaves cut into thin strips
Juice and zest of 1 limes
2 cooked Chicken Breasts, sliced
250g cooked rice
40g toasted flaked almonds
3 sliced green spring onions
What to do:
Steam or boil the Tenderstem for 3-4 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, mix together the yoghurt, coriander, mint, lime juice and lime zest and leave to infuse for a few minutes.
Put the chicken, rice, cooked Tenderstem, almonds and spring onions in a large mixing bowl and season. Add the yoghurt dressing and combine the ingredients together.
Serve with a sprinkling of chopped coriander.
Recipe by: www.tenderstem.co.uk
Desirable Desserts
Viva Strawberry Easy Valentine’s Day Ice-cream
Serves: 6-8
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus 4 hours to freeze
You will need:
500ml good quality custard
400ml double cream lightly whipped
1 vanilla pod, split
500g Viva strawberries
4tbsp caster sugar
What to do:
In a bowl, fold together the custard, the whipped cream and the vanilla seeds scrapped from the pod. Take 400g of strawberries, and blitz together with the sugar. Stir into the custard mix. Chop the rest of the strawberries, and add to the mix, folding through.
Line a 1 litre loaf tin with cling film and pour the mixture in. Freeze for a minimum of four hours. When ready to serve, take out of the freezer 10 minutes before you want to eat, and serve with some more fresh strawberries and a sprig of mint.
Pink Lady Apple Galettes with Vanilla Chantilly
A very easy yet impressive dessert with exotic almond and rose water scented frangipane hidden under the apple. Through antiquity, almonds were regarded as fertility symbols. The aroma of almond supposedly arouses passion in females — or so thought the poets and scribes. The scientists say that almonds provide high doses of vitamin E, magnesium and even fibre. Therefore, there seems to be something in the almond myths after all.
Makes: 4 x 15cm galettes
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 23-25 minutes
You’ll need:
100g ground almonds
80g icing sugar sifted
3 tbsp rosewater
500g block of puff pastry
4 Pink Lady apples (each quartered and cored)
2 tbsp English runny honey warmed
Icing sugar to dust
For the Chantilly cream:
150 ml double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar sifted
½ a length ways split vanilla pod seeds scraped out
1 large baking tray
What to do:
Preheat the oven to Gas mark 7/220C/fan oven 180. Mix the almonds, icing sugar and rosewater together in a bowl to create a frangipane mix.
Cut the pastry into 4 pieces and roll out one at time to a shape large enough to take a 15 cm fluted or plain round cutter. Stamp out the circles and put on the baking tray and prick all over with a fork to within 1cm of the edge. Put in the fridge to chill.
Cut each apple quarter into 3 wedges and toss in a bowl with the warmed honey.
Divide the frangipane between each pastry circle and spread to within 1cm of the edge. Arrange the apple wedges on top and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to Gas mark 6/200C/fan oven 170 and bake for 13-15 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up and the apple is tinged golden in parts.
Meanwhile make the Chantilly cream. Whisk the cream, icing sugar and vanilla together, chill until ready to serve.
When the galettes are ready dust with icing sugar and serve with the Chantilly cream.
Recipe by: www.pinkladyapples.co.uk
Meringues with Poached Pink Lady Apples and Sorbet
This is the simplest of sorbets and the great thing is you can make every part of this dessert in advance. Serve up this delicate dessert to the apple of your eye this valentine’s day.
Makes: 4
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
You’ll need:
For the meringues:
2 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
110g caster sugar
1 oven tray lined with baking parchment
For the Sorbet:
4 Pink Lady® apples each cut into 8 wedges, cored and sliced into 5mm pieces
100g caster sugar
100 ml water
Softly whipped cream to serve
What to do:
Preheat the oven to Gas mark 3/160C/fan oven 150.
Put the eggs whites in a bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk until soft peaks form when the whisks are lifted. Add the sugar a few tablespoons at a time whisking well between each addition until stiff and glossy.
Put a small blob of meringue at each corner of the oven tray to secure the paper. Put 4 mounds of meringue on the paper and using the back of a spoon push into an approximately 10cm circle making a slight indent in the centre.
Bake for 10 minutes, lower oven to Gas mark 1/4/100C/fan oven 100 and bake for 1 hour until they lift off the tray easily. Cool on a wire track and store in an airtight container.
Meanwhile to make the sorbet and poached apples, put the apple slices in a large pan with the sugar and water. Cook covered on a medium heat for 10 minutes until soft.
Remove 24 apple slices, put in a bowl and reserve.
Tip the rest of the apples into a processer and blitz to a puree. Freeze the puree overnight. Blitz again in the processor until smooth and paler and refreeze for a minimum of 4 hours.
To serve spoon some softly whipped cream over each meringue and top with the reserved apple slices and add a scoop of sorbet.
Recipe by: www.pinkladyapples.co.uk
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