Food as an expression of love
How to make a special Valentine’s Day dinner
Valentine’s Day calls for a celebration. We honor those we love with festive cards, flowers and candy. And cooking a special dinner at home for our dearest is a perfect way to say, “I love you.”
But does a celebratory dinner mean that we have to abandon all the good eating habits we adopted in January as part of our New Year’s resolutions? Definitely not. My suggested menu of panroasted pork chops with polenta hearts and mushroom ragout tastes amazing and is pretty healthy to boot. We skip the heavy cream sauces and marbled red meat but still enjoy a beautiful gourmet Valentine’s Day treat. Pork loin chops are readily available and are much lower in fat than beef. You can easily serve moist and savory restaurant-style pork chops with very little fuss. The secret to keeping the thick boneless pork chops juicy is a quick one-hour brine of brown sugar, salt, garlic, pepper and bay leaves. Then we pat the chops dry and sear them in a sizzling cast iron pan. This method seals in the delicious juices and forms a beautiful brown crust on the chops. Next, we reduce the heat and pan-roast them on top of the stove until they are just shy of medium rare (thank you, instant-read thermometer). The pork chops will continue to cook to a perfect medium temperature while they rest on the board.
Next on the menu is polenta, which sounds intimidating but is nothing more than a fancy word for Italian cornmeal mush. To make polenta, we simply cook any kind of ground cornmeal in briskly boiling salted water, stirring until smooth and thickened. This versatile grain can be served right away, or can be poured out into a glass baking dish and chilled until firm. To use, you then just slice what you need and reheat in a small amount of butter or oil. A fun idea is to use a knife or cookie cutters to cut out shapes. What could be more fun than polenta Valentine hearts on your plate?
Mushroom ragout is a perfect accompaniment to polenta. Mushrooms are delectable and good for you, too. A superfood full of fiber, protein and antioxidants, mushrooms have been shown to help stave off heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimers. Our mushroom ragout takes advantage of this nutritional powerhouse. You slowly sauté sliced mushrooms with savories and broth. The sautéed mushrooms have a rich flavor and — best of all — in our menu they complement both the pork and the polenta. No cream or butter is involved, although you couldn’t tell by the rich and creamy taste. And leftover mushroom ragout on rustic toast is a fantastic treat the next day.
I like to serve this meal with asparagus, another heavenly and nutritious superfood. Asparagus used to be a seasonal treat, but now it is available year-round, so I find myself serving it often. Here I am using it as a salad. Lightly steam and chill the spears, and then spoon colorful sliced cherry tomatoes over the top. As a dressing, simply drizzle with balsamic glaze.
A Valentine’s supper that helps you celebrate your true love while you still stay true to your New Year’s resolutions. It’s a win-win for everybody.