Guy Alert! 3 Romantic Dinners Ideas

Romantic dinners don’t have to be just for Valentine’s Day or for proposing (which is an EXCELLENT idea ;)). They can be something nice you do for the women you love. Romantic dinners together can also be a great way to relive the stress or wedding planning and do something special together.

Here are 3 FANTASTIC dinner ideas from 3 of my favoirte chefs. Check them out, make your shopping list and don’t forget the nice bottle of wine!

Spinach & Mushroom Ravioli (recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis)

Serves 2, Cook time 1 hour 40 minutes

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons for boiling water
6 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup mascarpone
1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnishing
6 egg roll wrappers (6 1/2 by 6 1/2-inch squares)
2 large eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup mushroom (cremini, shiitake, button), finely chopped
2 cups tomato sauce, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saute pan heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms, about 6 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and place mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until you get a coarse texture. Place in bowl and stir in mascarpone and Parmesan cheese. Check for seasoning and set aside.

Line up 3 wrappers on a cutting board. Brush with the egg and

water mixture. Using a tablespoon, arrange 4 dollops of the filling on each wrapper – 2 on the first row and 2 on the second – 1-inch apart. Place another wrapper directly on top, pressing around the filling and sealing the edges. Using a fluted ravioli cutter, cut out squares of ravioli. Each filled wrapper will yield 4 raviolis, giving you a total of 12 ravioli. Place ravioli onto a floured baking sheet and keep covered with a linen towel.

In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts of salted and oiled water. Carefully add small batches of ravioli, about 3 to 4 at a time. This will prevent them from crowding in the pot and sticking together. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spider strainer, carefully remove the ravioli and place on the plate. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue cooking remaining ravioli.

In a saute pan, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. When almost smoking, add chopped mushrooms and saute until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Carefully pour in tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

Divide ravioli between 2 serving plates. Top with mushroom tomato sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

Makes 6 cups

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Red Curry with Lobster & Pineapple (recipe courtesy of Curtis Stone)

Serves 4

1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon grated palm sugar
8 ounces Chinese green beans, cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths
4 slices peeled fresh ginger
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind paste
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes (about 1/4 of a pineapple)
2 8-ounce uncooked lobster tails, shelled, meat thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Simmer 1/4 cup coconut milk in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat 5 minutes, or until oil separates from milk. Stir in curry paste and cook 1 minute. Add fish sauce and sugar and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, or until mixture darkens and thickens.

Add green beans and stir to coat. Add remaining coconut milk and stir to scrape up browned bits on bottom of pan. Stir in ginger, lime leaves, and tamarind paste.

Add pineapple and simmer 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sauce reduces and thickens slightly and green beans are crisp-tender. Add lobster and basil leaves and cook 4 minutes, or until lobster is just cooked through.

Discard ginger and lime leaves. Season curry to taste with salt. Transfer curry to bowls and serve with steamed rice.

Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon (recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Serves 2

2 (5 to 6 ounces each) filet mignons (about 1 1/2 inches thick)
Coarse salt and very coarsely ground pepper
2 teaspoon(s) olive oil

Red Wine Sauce (optional)

1 cup(s) red wine
2 tablespoon(s) cold butter, cut up
Coarse salt

Season filets very generously on both sides with salt and pepper (especially pepper), patting in firmly.

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Cook filets until desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side (depending on thickness) for medium-rare.

Remove strings from filets, and serve with Red Wine Sauce, if desired.

To make Red Wine Sauce: Place wine in a small saucepan; boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; add cut-up butter, and swirl pan until butter is melted and sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Season with coarse salt.

**Stay tuned for 3 perfect dessert ideas next week! TGIF! 🙂

Photos courtesy of Food Network, Breville via Flickr, Vanderscheer’s Photostream on Flickr.