Dinner at Home: The Ultimate Romantic Gesture

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.

Food is an integral part of most holidays, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. Whether it is a box of chocolates, dinner at a fancy restaurant, or a romantic dinner at home, food is going to be part of the celebration at one point or another.

As a day intended to celebrate love, be it for one’s mother, friend, or significant other, food, perhaps more than flowers or even a card, is a wonderful way of expressing that sentiment.

Of course, there are many ways that people celebrate the holiday. Amorous couples give bouquets of flowers. Children exchange cartoon decorated cards and boxes of conversation hearts. Adults go out to a fancy dinner. There are those inexplicable people who take home giant teddy bears and balloons for their loved one (because nothing says “I love you” like a giant teddy bear holding a stuffed heart that says “I love you”). And then there are those who take it all the way and propose.

For those who do not go out to eat often, dinner at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day can be a rare treat. Unfortunately, your romantic night is being shared at the same restaurant with dozens of other couples all vying for the same level of service from their waiter, each hoping for their own perfect night. It is no wonder that many restaurants standardize menus to limit options and offer set seatings to move through couples and make way for the next wave. What you often end up with is a dining experience as generic as a Hallmark card.

This is why I am in favor of the homemade Valentine’s dinner gift. As the old saying goes, the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach. True, the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but it can also mean the key to your mother’s, friend’s, or sibling’s heart is through his or her stomach. But using food to show one’s love is not as random the saying seems to indicate. For instance, if your loved one hates seafood, it is unlikely that homemade lobster bisque is going to win him over. Rather, to win someone over through their stomach requires a true understanding of that person, perhaps the ultimate sign of love.

When deciding what to make for this special day, start with what you know about the person you are cooking for, and menu will likely come easier than you would think. For instance, if I were cooking for my father, I know that when we go out to eat, he almost always orders fish. Fish is something he loves but rarely cooks for himself at home. Whereas my mother, will on occasion order a filet when we go out to eat. For her, steak is a real treat that she rarely affords herself and would be the perfect dinner to impress on such an occasion as Valentine’s Day.

I am not a serial dater nor have I had a long history of high school and college boyfriends to look back on and fondly remember our Valentine’s Day celebrations. In fact, this is the first year I have ever had someone serious that I have been dating on this particular holiday. Because this day has never meant much to me, I can’t say that having a boyfriend makes me any more excited about it than I have been any year.

That being said, if we are to do something, I will probably cook. It makes me happy that I know him well enough that I could probably make that exact thing he would order if we went out, but in the comfort of my own home. Therefore, I will start with a caprese salad of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Perhaps I will roast the tomatoes and add a little pesto along with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil just to elevate the dish from the ordinary. For our main course we’ll have linguine with clams, fresh clams of course, with a sauce made rich by the addition of pancetta to typical broth of tomatoes and white wine. To finish it all off for dessert, nothing fancy, but I’m pretty sure it will be chocolate.

Words can be difficult to articulate and flowers expensive, but food as a means of expression never lies. A dinner out can be nice even if everyone else is doing the same, and candy is sweet if generic. But dinner at home, making something that you know he is going to love, nothing says “I know you” like that. And that perhaps is the most romantic gesture of all.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 8 ounces linguine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 pound pancetta
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 pound manila clams
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 handful fresh basil
• salt and pepper