Homemade Valentine

Dining in and a table for two

Written by Rachel Luman

Valentine’s Day is a holiday that I take very seriously. I am a die-hard romantic, and I expect all of the Hallmark traditions to be showered upon me when this special day rolls around. One dozen roses (no less!), a box of chocolates, a teddy bear with a red bow, a romantic dinner for two … I want it all. However, this year I’ve decided to break the “me” tradition and show my husband just how special he is by making him a homemade heart-themed meal.

There’s a catch, though. I can’t cook. At all. I can hardly make toast. Still, I am resolved to bringing dinner to the table, so I asked for help from Darius Framjee of La Torretta Ristorante in North Scottsdale.

Darius created what he described as no-fail menu inspired by La Torretta’s own Valentine’s Day offerings. We hit the kitchen armed with recipes, pots of boiling water, and a whole mess of flour. Darius laughed when he saw my face as I read what looked like a rather complicated recipe for heart-shaped raviolis with a rosé sauce. Then he made things amazingly simple by pulling out a box of large lasagna noodles and explaining that, for the culinary challenged, these were a trade secret.

While I’ll need to make a special trip to the store for heart-shaped cookie cutters, there wasn’t one thing on the menu that was foreign or too difficult for me to learn. I boiled noodles, cut out the raviolis, dusted them with flour, filled them with a surprisingly simple cheese mixture, and pressed the edges with ease. (OK, I had a few mess-ups, but I got it down near the end.) We made our “pink sauce,” a mixture of marinara and alfredo sauces, from scratch, but Darius was firm in keeping that recipe a La Torretta secret. (The results were absolutely delicious, so you’ll have to make reservations to sample the real deal.)

In the end, I had made a fabulous three-course meal of Spring Berry Salad, Heart-Shaped Ravioli and Zabaglione for dessert – a sophisticated and simple menu designed for romance. I was supremely successful in my first attempt with Darius’s help. Now it’s time to tackle it on my own and surprise my husband with something he’s never experienced before – a homemade meal from his very own kitchen. I’d better not make it too tasty … I can’t have him expecting this kind of treatment all the time.

Spring Berry Salad with Mixed Berries & Gorgonzola Cheese

Ingredients:
Spring salad mix
Raspberry vinaigrette
Seasonal berries
Crumbled gorgonzola cheese
Candied walnuts or toasted almonds (optional)

Preparation:
Wash salad mix and berries. Combine in a large bowl. Toss and top with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and optional nuts.

Heart-Shaped Raviolis

Filling Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ricotta cheese
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Dough Ingredients*:
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. water
extra flour on hand for “dusting”
*Pre-made flat lasagna noodles work well, too, and they cut preparation time in half. Just follow the boiling instructions on the package, dust with flour, and cut ravioli directly from sheet.

Filling Preparation:
Mix ricotta, eggs, salt and pepper thoroughly in a small mixing bowl. Refrigerate.

Dough Preparation:
In mixing bowl, crack eggs and beat with a fork. Add water, oil and salt. Mix. Add 1 cup flour to wet mix, and stir with a fork until well mixed. Repeat with remaining flour. Clear and clean off a large surface and dust with flour. This is where all of your ingredients should be.

Remove dough from mixing bowl and place on counter. Ball up dough and knead so the dough is well mixed. Dust a rolling pin with flour (so dough doesn’t stick). Roll out dough so it is about 1/8 inch thick (1/3 cm). With a heart-shaped cookie cutter (or any shape your prefer), “cookie cut” out an even number of hearts in the dough (will make about 16-20 dough “hearts”). Ball up the remaining dough and either repeat or place in plastic wrap and put in the freezer for another time. (Dough can keep for about a week in the freezer.)

Ravioli Preparation:
Take ravioli filling out of the refrigerator and place a tablespoon of mixture in the center of one of your dough hearts, careful not to put too much (don’t let it spill out the sides when top ravioli is placed).

Fill a small ramekin with water, dip finger in the water and moisten the edges of the filled dough heart. Dip matching heart-shaped noodle in flour, arrange over stop of filling, and press edges into the moistened edges of the bottom heart, adding more water/flour as necessary. Make sure edges are sealed well. Press firmly all the way around the lip of the ravioli with a fork for a “homemade” appearance and extra seal.

Cook the Ravioli:
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Dust excess flour from ravioli and place in boiling water for 5-6 minutes, or until the float. Try not to wash them; washed pasta does not absorb the flavor of the sauce.

Sauce Preparation:
Heat combination of Marinara and Alfredo Sauce over low heat while pasta is cooking. Add salt and pepper as needed for flavor.

Dessert Zabaglione

Ingredients:
8 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
1 c. Marsala wine
12 strawberries

Preparation:
Rinse the strawberries in cold water, and then cut each in half. Place in a small bowl. Divide between two tall glasses and set aside. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl and whisk until eggs are thick and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the Marsala; the mixture will become runny. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook for 10-15 minutes, whisking continuously until the mixture is thick and creamy – it should be thick enough to leave an “s” shape on the top of the mixture when the whisk heads are lifted. Divide the mixture between the glasses, spooning it over strawberries

La Torretta Ristorante: The Cuisine of Italy
16640 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
480.991.2000, www.LaTorrettaAz.com