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La Cucina di Betty: Love is in the air (and the oyster puffs)
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Anonymous user Wed Jan 24, 2007 14:22:18 PST
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0 responses 0 comments It’s been said that where love is concerned, too much is not even enough.
The same can be said of good food.
This Valentine’s Day, share your love — and some great dishes — with others by hosting a St. Valentine’s Day dinner in your home. You will be glad you did when you see your guests leaving with a contented smile.
A Valentine’s Day dinner should be special, so put lots of thought into choosing your guest list and the menu.
Choose the menu in your husband’s honor — ask him what his favorite foods would be for the evening. Perhaps it would be better to give him multiple choices; he might just pick steak and potatoes, and that is so not romantic.
Set the mood in your home. Have a fire going in the fireplace, dim the lights, and place candles throughout. What I like most is soft music playing in the background. Just make sure it’s not too loud and that it will allow your guests to have enjoyable conversations. Set out fresh bouquets of flowers to complete the ambiance.
Setting the table is always my favorite part of a dinner party. I like keeping myself stress-free so I usually set it the day before (this gives you time the following day to prepare your menu).
When setting the table for a theme dinner party, I like the white-on-white look: white tablecloth and white dishes. Everyone should own a nice white tablecloth and a set of white dishes. White dishes have become popular and are affordable — you can find them in most department stores. Try pairing some red or hot pink cloth napkins with your tablecloth to give the table some pizzazz.
For centerpieces, I would do some bouquets of roses in red, white and hot pink. Cut them short and place them in small vases, running three or four vases down the center of your table.
No small vases, you say? Why not use some small cocktail glasses? Keep the bouquets low so you can gaze into your loved one’s eyes!
For place cards, buy small, silver-plated heart photo frames and send them home with your guests as a party favor.
The menu I have prepared for this dinner is one that allows you to do much of the prepping the day before. You don’t want to be jumping up and down from the table like a jack-in-the-box. This is supposed to be an intimate evening — one where you glide in and out of the kitchen and spend most of your time with guests. 
Whether you’re short on time or new to cooking, these recipes will delight your valentine and your guests. They are quick, easy, and just about anyone can fix them — and you will get all the raves!
Oysters are supposed to be an aphrodisiac, so why not start with this appetizer recipe? And serve Cosmo Martinis, because the color of the evening is red.
After having enjoyed your cocktails, escort your guests to the table, where they will be presented with a Mandarin cranberry salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. This is simple to prepare. On each individual salad plate, arrange some butter lettuce that you have tossed with a prepared bottle of raspberry vinaigrette dressing (there are many nice ones on the market). Over the salad, arrange some canned mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and an added sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese!
Your sit-down dinner will consist of pork cutlets with a mushroom wine sauce, along with roasted red potatoes and sautéed French green beans.
And for dessert, why not a scoop of Dewar’s peppermint ice cream with a red iced heart cookie from Smith’s Bakery? Call the bakery in advance and have them personalize each cookie with your guests’ names. I can’t think of an easier, more festive dessert than this.
Just remember to plan ahead, keep it simple, and enjoy your evening.
And then, when you go to bed that evening and your husband presents you with a little box, you say, “Gee, all this hard work was well worth it!”
Do make sure your husband reads this column prior to Valentine’s Day — he needs time to buy those special diamond earrings for you!

E-mail Betty at: jchicca@bak.rr.com and comment on this column at: www.swvoice.com

Pork cutlets with mushrooms
• 12 center-cut, boneless pork chops, 1/4-inch thick
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup shallots, chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, minced, using little of
   the green
• 2 8-ounce packages of sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups white wine
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 2 large Knorr chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Add the milk, season with salt and pepper.  Add pork cutlets, letting them soak for an hour or so. Dip the cutlets in bread crumbs, shaking the excess. Set on a cookie sheet until ready to use. Place the bouillon cubes in the hot water and set aside until dissolved. Place olive oil and hot pepper flakes in a large skillet. Over medium-high heat, brown the cutlets quickly, for about a minute on each side. Place in a large baking dish, slightly overlapping. Over medium heat, add the shallots and the green onions and sauté in the remaining oil for five minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another five minutes. Add the white wine, parsley, and garlic, simmering for five minutes over high heat.  Add the hot water in which the bouillon has dissolved. Simmer for another five minutes. Salt and pepper the mushroom mixture to taste. Pour the mushroom mixture over the cutlets. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serves 6.
Note: Let cutlets set for 10 minutes before serving. Serve two cutlets per person with a spoon of mushrooms over the top and just a little of the juice. This recipe can be prepared the day before or the morning of your party, up to the point of putting the mushroom sauce over the cutlets. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Baking time may take longer if taken from the refrigerator.
 

Green beans with pancetta and garlic
• 1 pound fresh green beans
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 2 ounces pancetta, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
Snap the ends off the beans and rinse well. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the green beans. Set timer for five minutes and let beans cook. Drain immediately and rinse under cold water. Drain well and set aside. In a large skillet add the oil and over medium heat sauté the pancetta for a few minutes until slightly brown. Add the beans and the garlic, season with the salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Cook over medium heat until beans are hot, stirring often to prevent burning. You can prepare this dish ahead of time and just warm when ready to serve. Serves 6.
Note: Pancetta (Italian bacon) can be found at Trader Joe’s, Vons, and Luigi’s Deli.

Basque potatoes
• 8 medium red potatoes
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dry rosemary, chopped
• Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the potatoes — do not peel them. Cut them in half and then into slices. Blend the butter and the mustard, set aside. Season the potatoes with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss the potatoes with the butter mixture. Place in a non-stick baking dish. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Add the rosemary and bake another 15 minutes. Turn occasionally while baking to prevent sticking. Serves 8.

Smoked oyster puffs
• 1 can (about 3 ounces) smoked oysters, drained
• 16 slices party rye bread rounds
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
Toast rye bread rounds on each side. Combine mayonnaise and green onion, spread on each slice of toast. Cut cheese into rounds that fit the toast rounds. Place a smoked oyster on each toast round then top with a Swiss cheese round, covering the mayonnaise. Broil 4 inches from heat until Swiss cheese is puffy and golden brown, a minute or two.
 
Cosmo martini
• 4 ounces vodka
• 2 ounces cranberry juice
• 1 ounce triple sec
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
Pour the vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime juice in a cocktail shaker half filled with ice cubes. Shake well, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve. Makes two martinis.

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