A Procrastinator's Guide to Valentine's Day

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

Hey, you! Yeah, I am talking to you. How did I know you would be reading this? Easy. As the boyfriend/husband/fiancé to your lovely female counterpart, it is practically part of your DNA to procrastinate. Seeing as how it is almost Valentine’s Day, now is approximately the time that you realize that you have absolutely no idea what to do for your better half for the upcoming annual celebration of the deep love that binds you two together.

If you think you are going to get a decent dinner reservation at this point, forget it. Ask anyone in the restaurant business and they’ll tell you V Day is the busiest night of the year. Getting a reservation anywhere good at this point is out of the question, unless you are okay with the Olive Garden. But I wouldn’t suggest that unless you are fairly certain that bottomless salad and unlimited breadsticks is the key to her heart.

Before you start to panic about being the lazy boyfriend/husband/fiancé that you are, look on the bright side: there is a way to take this potentially sour situation and make sweet lemonade. Instead of going out to dinner, you are going to cook! (That is why you came across this article in the first place, right?)

Why should you cook as (part of) your Valentine’s Day present to your girl? First, because as I made pretty clear, with the big day only a few nights away, you aren’t going to have much luck getting into the better restaurants. Second, dinner with just the two of you is way more romantic than being crowded into a restaurant with a million other love-sick couples. Third, cooking is hot! If you don’t venture much into the kitchen, I can’t tell you how impressed your lady will be when you don an apron, wield a knife, and wait on her hand and foot.

First step, set the scene. Go all out in this department: candles, tablecloth, and music. And break out the fancy dishes if you have them. Think about lighting. Dim and indirect is best as it kind of makes a girl’s skin glow just so. Make sure you are clean and presentable--clean apron, clean kitchen--because it is hard to have confidence in a messy cook.

Second, go out and buy a nice bottle of wine. Nice doesn’t have to mean expensive, but now is not the time for Two Buck Chuck. Plus, if the meal turns out to be a disaster, a little extra wine and she will forget all about the food.

Last but not least, the menu. Trust me here. Unless you know for a fact that the only thing your lady friend eats is steak and potatoes, I am going to highly recommend you avoid red meat. Women just don’t eat steak the way you boys do, for one. For two, neither of you want to slip into a food coma from a 3000 calorie steak if you want the night to last beyond the dinner table. Chicken is safe but standard. If your girl eats fish, not only is it quick to cook, which is a bonus for the chef, but it makes for a beautiful and impressive presentation.

Think about a starch and a vegetable that are just on the other side of ordinary. Couscous is a winner because it goes with everything, takes 5 minutes to cook and about 30 seconds of your attention. Looking at the veggies, a variety of color, flavors, and textures are what to shoot for. If you are grilling fish, try a side of grilled radicchio that turns somewhat sweet when put to the fire compared with its bitter, raw counterpart.

When all parts are cooked, assemble with care. We eat with our eyes first, so build some height starting with the starch on the bottom, piling and spilling the greens over the plate, and nestling the fish on top.

So you waited a little too long this year to get into the most romantic restaurant in the city for Valentine’s Day. There is no need for your better half to think anything other than cooking for her was all part of the original plan. Thus you will have taken lemons and made some rather elegant lemonade--a sweet Valentine’s gift indeed

Serves/Makes: 2

• 6 jumbo scallops
• 6 slices thin bacon
• salt and pepper
• oil
• 1 head radicchio lettuce
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional as needed
• 2 ounces baby arugula
• 1 cup Israeli couscous (or standard couscous)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar