You forgot the date, didn’t you? Raid the store cupboard, the freezer and the fruit bowl (!) and rustle up this simple, sophisticated, speedy Valentine’s Day menu for two.
The set-the-scene cocktail: Cupid’s Arrow
Mix 150ml cranberry juice, 50ml vodka and 1 tsp grenadine (optional) together in a large jug or cocktail shaker with a handful of ice. Add a spritz of fresh lime and stir or shake again. Drop 2-3 raspberries into the bottom of two chilled Champagne glasses, add the cocktail mixture and top up with Champagne, prosecco or sparkling wine. Serve immediately.
The sensual starter: Garlic and Chilli Prawns
Peel and crush 3 cloves of garlic, finely slice 1 red chilli (deseed if you can’t stand the heat) and saute together in a small, oil-drizzled frying pan over a medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add 12 large raw king prawns (defrosted if frozen) to the pan with 1 tsp smoked paprika and a splash of dry sherry (optional) and fry for 2-4 minutes or until the prawns turn pink. Sprinkle with finely-chopped fresh parsley and serve on warm plates with lemon wedges for spritzing and crusty bread to mop up the garlicky juices.
The main event: Truffle Carbonara
Gently fry 150g fatty pancetta or plump bacon lardons (smoked or unsmoked; it’s up to you) in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat for around 10 minutes or until the fat has rendered down and the meaty morsels are golden and crisp, adding 1 whole clove of garlic (unpeeled but bashed with a rolling pin) for the last 5 minutes or so of cooking time. Remove and discard the garlic clove, take the pan off the heat and set to one side. In a large saucepan, cook 200g spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine for 2 minutes less than the instructions on the packet. Meanwhile, whisk 2 egg yolks in a small bowl. When the pasta has cooked, use kitchen tongs to lift it into the pancetta pan and muddle it around, adding small ladlefuls of pasta cooking water as you go until there’s only a little bit of pasta water left in the bottom of the pan. Tip the beaten egg yolks into the pasta and stir vigorously (the egg yolks will cook and turn silky in the residual heat from the pasta and pasta water). Add 50g finely grated Parmesan and keep mixing, adding a little more pasta water if necessary (you’re aiming for a smooth sauce with the consistency of double cream). Serve immediately in warmed bowls scattered with plenty of ground black pepper, a little more parmesan and drizzles of truffle oil.
The sweet treat: Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Melt 100g dark chocolate in a bowl over (but not touching!) a pan of simmering water or in short blasts in the microwave. Holding individual strawberries by the leafy top, dip each one into the chocolate, rolling to cover and tapping any excess back into the bowl. Lay each chocolate-dipped strawberry onto a serving platter as you go, and leave them in a cool place (not the fridge) until the chocolate has set. Serve drizzled with melted milk or white chocolate.