Staying in for Valentine’s Day

Last night’s Valentine’s Day dinner was a joint effort.  Brad handled the filet mignon and the broccoli, while I made the risotto.

Not only did we cook with wine, we also cooked with wine.

I collect wine corks so this went into the big vase on the counter for safe keeping.

For the first time ever, I attempted risotto with red wine.  I’ve made risotto enough that I like to think I do not need a recipe.  I came up with this on the fly using things I already had in the house, and it turned out to be a great success.

Portobello Red Wine Risotto

1 cup Arborio rice
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large portobello mushroom cap, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced (or 1 clove of Elephant garlic)
1 cup of red wine (I used Shiraz)
4 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped finely
1/2  cup Parmesan Reggiano, plus more for garnish, finely grated
1 tsp. of sea salt, plus more to taste if desired
extra virgin olive oil

In a large pot, heat 1 1/2 Tbsp of evoo on medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic to the pot.  Stir periodically.  Once onions and garlic begin to caramelize, add mushrooms.  Stir often and cook for three more minutes.  Remove vegetables from pot and set to the side.

Add 1/2 Tbsp. of evoo and rice to the pot.  Continuously stir until rice starts to appear translucent with a white spot in the center.  Add half of the wine and stir for about a miute until it is absorbed in the rice.  Add vegetable stock to the rice a cup at a time, stirring very often so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom.  Once the last cup of stock is partially absorbed, add rosemary and salt, plus the other half of the wine.  Add cheese, stir, and remove from heat.  Serve immediately and garnish with more cheese.

*Typically, risotto is served al dente.  However, Brad prefers his to be soft.  If you want to stick to traditional risotto, add only three cups of broth.  Feel free to taste the risotto to determine when it meet your desired texture preference.  The more stock you add, the longer it takes to cook, and the softer your risotto will be.

Brad made Steak Au Poivre using this Alton Brown recipe.  He made a few modifications: he used Brandy instead of Cognac and he also used skim milk instead of cream.  He thickened the sauce with a big of Greek yogurt and cornstarch.

Greek yogurt and canned pumpkin are slowly becoming our substitution for all things creamy and oily.

Brad made steamed broccoli in my Pampered Chef large microwave pot.  We pretty much use that pot for all things we steam.  I love it!

My Valentine

Fresh out of the shower from hot yoga

Dinner was lovely.  We stayed at the table for over an hour, just like we used to do when we first started dating and Brad would visit me at my condo in Hickory, NC, where I lived.

After dinner, Rascal begged to lick our plates.

When he gives us this face, we always say that he’s thinking, “I count 1-2 people, so there must be 1-2 plates.” Is it weird that we think our dog can count?

Dinner would not have been possible without Brad’s grandparents sending us a bunch of Filet Mignons for Christmas.  What a wonderful gift!  Food is one of my favorite types of gifts, especially when it’s something I don’t typically buy myself.

Besides the steak, they also sent us a few pieces of cheesecake.  Brad and I split one but I forgot to snap a photo.

Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without chocolate, so we also broke into our box of organic dark chocolate truffles.  They were Earth Fare’s free giveaway last week.  I had one and it was absolutely heavenly.  Seriously, if you have an Earth Fare near you and you’re not on their mailing list, you are missing out.

In the past, Brad and I have had all kinds of Valentine’s Days: the weekend getaway kind, the fancy dinner for two kind. The stay at home and cook for each other kind was perfect this year.  I wouldn’t have had it any other way.  :)

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day?