APPETIZER FOR 2
There is no sight on earth more appealing than the sight of [someone] making dinner for someone [they love]. ~Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938)
This week’s preparations will make up a Valentine’s Day dinner, or a romantic dinner anytime. The menu I’m suggesting over the course of the next two weeks — to give you time to plan and maybe even have a dry run if you want — is not complicated, time-consuming or expensive. Quite the contrary. It will cost you a fraction of the cost of a mediocre dinner out and I’ll give some alternate food choices so that you can choose the degree of time and dollar involvement you’re up for. In the comfort of your own home, you can eat at your own pace and give the night some breathing room. It will take some time, but you do get rewarded for what you make time for. That’s why we’re beginning now. Valentine’s Day is a month away, so you have plenty of time to begin flexing your muscles and anticipating the delight of the person for whom you are preparing this modest feast.
Today’ preparation is an interesting appetizer, only because not many people think of having shrimp at home. By the way, a raw bar (shrimp cocktail, or clams or oysters on the half shell) are the best things to order if you ever find yourself in a bad seafood restaurant! Shrimp is hard to muck up. The only thing you can do wrong is over-cook it, and that’s easy to avoid by gentle steeping. Just keep an eye on the color. Once they turn lose their translucence and turn opaque, they’re done. Cook in advance and chill, and that’s one thing out of the way on the big night.
Imagine the surprise when you bring out a plate of plump, pink shrimp and avocado on a bed of cilantro (an aphrodisiac, some believe) to your beloved. Why, you could make a dinner out of just this combination if you wanted to just by increasing the quantity. That wasn’t hard, was it?
PREPARATIONS Listed on Left Sidebar
