Italian Valentine's Day Dinner

Here for you my menu and recipes for a romantic Italian Valentine's Day Dinner. Enjoy!

Antipasto:
Balsamic Vinaigrette Spinach and Strawberries Salad, with Goat Cheese and Strawberries Crostini

Ingredients:
1 small package of creamy goat cheese
sourdough bread or baguette
strawberries
a pack of pre washed baby spinach
a handful of walnuts or sliced almonds
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

If you use a baguette, just cut a couple of slices for each serving about ˝ inch thick, but if you use a loaf of sourdough bread, it’s better to remove the crust on each slice and then cut them in squares, 2 or 3 inches wide. However, you can make them in any size and shape you prefer, even hearts – how fun! – using cookie cutters. Slightly toast the bread and top with some of the goat cheese and a sliced strawberry (previously washed, of course). Depending on their size, place 1 or 2 crostini on your antipasto (or salad) plates.

Make the salad, dressing the spinach with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, or making your own like a real Italian simply combining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat the salad and place on each plate next to the crostini, topping with a few slices of strawberries and a few walnuts pieces or sliced almonds.

Main Course:
Penne with Creamy Mushrooms Sauce and Chicken Saltimbocca with Prosciutto and Fresh Sage

Done the real Italian way, a very small serving of pasta would be served first as Primo Piatto (First Course). Then the Secondo Piatto (Second Course) would follow, with the chicken and a small Contorno (Side) of cooked vegetables or salad, which in Italy is never eaten as a starter. Either way, it is your romantic Italian Valentine’s dinner and you decide. But if you serve the pasta with the chicken together, keep the portions small. You don’t want to be all stuffed up with heavy carbs at this point of your romantic dinner.

Ingredients for Penne with Creamy Mushroom Sauce:
1 small package of mushrooms
olive oil
chopped garlic
chopped Italian parsley
˝ cup of heavy cream
grated Parmigiano (Parmesan)

Clean, slice and sauté the mushrooms in a pan with olive oil, some chopped garlic and Italian parsley, salt and pepper. When ready, in about 5-6 minutes, add to the pan the heavy cream, stir and cook with the mushrooms over medium-low fire for another minute. Taste and correct salt and pepper as needed.

Cook the pasta in abundant salted water, al dente (not totally cooked and soft, but with a little bite to it when you taste it), removing from the fire and draining it about 1 minute before the suggested cooking time on the package. Reserve a cup of the cooking water, toss the pasta in the pan with the mushrooms and the cream, mix and add some of the water, just enough to help the creamy sauce coating the penne. Serve immediately, bringing Parmigiano cheese to the table.

Ingredients for Chicken Saltimbocca with Prosciutto and Fresh Sage:
1 chicken breast
few slices of Italian Prosciutto
few fresh sage leaves
1 cup of chicken broth

You may use pre-sliced chicken breast for convenience, otherwise cut the breast in 6-8 small slices, possibly thin. Place a slice of Italian Prosciutto and a fresh sage leaf over each slice. Roll up the slices and secure them with a toothpick, so they don’t open up while cooking. These are called "Saltimbocca", literally "Jump in the mouth", because of their size which could allow to eat them in a single bite (or two). The recipe is originally from Rome, where they are made with veal or tender beef.

Pass them in a little flower, which has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Then brown them slightly in a mix of butter and olive oil and a little salt and pepper. When nice and golden on the sides, add a half cup of white wine, possibly the same that you are having with your dinner, and let the wine evaporate while cooking for about a minute or two. Add the chicken broth, and let simmer with a lid on low flame for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until the juices and the broth have reduced to a nice gravy. The smaller the Saltimbocca, the easier and faster they will cook through. Serve with the side of steamed veggies, simply dressed with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Dolce (Dessert):
Fresh Strawberries and Vanilla Ice Cream

Stay simple and have a delicious little bowl of fresh strawberries (berries are good for you) the way we serve in Italy – sliced and dressed with lemon juice and a bit of sugar. If you prepare them in advance and let them rest in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving, the flavor of the berries and the lemon juice will combine with the sugar and they will taste like heaven. Add richness topping with vanilla ice cream and melted chocolate or chocolate syrup.

Wine:
A white wine, such as an Italian Vermentino or even a Chardonnay, will pair well with the the antipasto and the creamy sauce of the pasta, as well as the chicken. Prosecco or Spumante (Italian sparkling wine) will be nice for the dessert.