Cooking is love made visible

They say that cooking is love made visible, and that food tastes better when you eat it with someone you love.

So why treat your date this Valentine’s Day without spending a fortune and do it yourself. A sometimes cheap and romantic alternative to making your loved one feel special, is to surprise her with something delicious. According to popular belief, it’s hard to cook a meal, but when you follow the simple steps of a recipe, you will look like a master chef in no time.

Here are a few easy recipes to consider, and remember, to make a meal interesting and unique, doesn’t always mean you have to stick to a recipe.

For starters, a very easy and delicious meal to enjoy in the scorching Lowveld summer is and avocado ritz. Now that sounds like something you would pay at least R60 for in a restaurant, but it certainly doesn’t have to be that way. Simply buy an avocado, split it in halve and remove the pip.

An easy way to do so is to chop the knife into the pip, and simply twist to remove. Then insert the tip of a sharp knife around one millimetre into the skin of the avo and carefully slide it down the length. Now you can simply peel of the skin. Slice the avo and place it onto a bed of fresh lettuce. Mix a can of shrimp with 1 000 island sauce and dish on top. Add salt and black pepper according to taste. Use fresh coriander to garnish.

An even easier way to tickle the taste buds is with a crumbed mushroom starter. All you have to do is to buy about 300 grams of whole mushrooms of your choice, wash it and dry it off with a paper towel.

Heat enough oil to cover all mushrooms at once. Beat one or two eggs in a bowl and cover the mushrooms. Add salted bread crumbs to another bowl and cover mushrooms completely.

Fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Create your own sauce to make it interesting. It goes very well with mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce or chutney, or even a mixture of the three. Remember to let it cool a little before serving.

For the main course, pasta is always a safe and easy option. I recommend a creamy alfredo.

It is important to first grill your ingredients before you start cooking your pasta, because if you overcook it, it starts to fall apart and become too soft.

Heat olive oil or butter, chop a few mushrooms, a piece of green pepper, some onion and bacon and grill until golden brown. Now you can start boiling the water for your pasta (penne or fettuccini), remember to add salt and a teaspoon of olive oil.

Now bring a cup of cream to boil in another pot on medium heat. Add grated parmesan cheese, garlic, mixed herbs, a dash of lemon juice and salt or Aromat and black pepper and let it simmer, stirring occasionally.

Now add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes or until cooked. If done, add the bacon mixture to the cream sauce and stir.

Let it simmer for a while adding the pasta to the plates. Now simply add the sauce to the pasta and garnish with fresh coriander or parsley. Avo is also an option as a top up.For desert, keep it simple.

You can either take fresh strawberries and dip it into melted chocolate, to enjoy while watching a movie, ending the evening on a high note, or add those ingredients to some flap jacks.

Snowflake offers a ready mix for flapjacks where you simply add milk, eggs and oil. When melting chocolate, it’s important not to put it directly into a pan or pot.

Rather consider putting it into a glass bowl, add a little milk while it’s still cold and put on top of a pot of boiling water. This will ensure that the chocolate does not burn, and create a deliciously smooth chocolate sauce.

Valentine’s Day is the one day where you can forget about your diet and treat the one you love.