Food Date Night Foods...

It's been a long time since I've had what I'd call a 'date', or a significant other in this country. Work and play have always tended to be blended. Last few years, dinner guests have tended to be platonic, but I'd have the same food strategy if they weren't:

Cold starter, typically tomato salad ... extremely finely sliced tomatoes, spread like a pack of cards round the edge of a place. Very light dusting of salt. Clear central area may be left clear, or populated with a few pitted black olives, which are a good colour contrast, or chopped, pickled jalapeño peppers, or anything.

Another starter I do is to generously dollop houmous on to the centre of the plate, and artistically arrange a star of crudités interspersed with thinly chopped pitta. If I'm going for jokey cliché, I'll put a single pitted black olive in the centre.

Starters get made beforehand and stored in the fridge until needed.

People who visit me typically ask if they may help in the kitchen. I tell them to grab a stool and bring it to the kitchen and chat with me while I cook. The most important thing to me about recipe choice is that it be something I can make whilst being a good listener and replier. I, like you, Streak, am likely to make something with a pasta base. Your mention of White Zinfandel reminds me that I should get into the habit of making wine part of my cooking method. My tendencies with pasta sauces are the following: Firstly, they tend to be hot, in which case, Fry up garlic and chillies first of all, to the extent that they get browned - some, even burnt. They set the top note. The bottom note, is some stealth cheddar cheese - it's not going to add the bite of Parmesan, it's just going to thicken and bind everything else - it is like the bass guitar in a rock band. Everything else is in between. My main bases are tomato base, in which case, if I have real tomatoes, I'll chop them, throw them in to the pre-cooked garlic/chili oil, and have them well mulched before throwing any pre-cooked meat in; If no fresh tomatoes, then passata. My other base is mushroom base, in which case, real mushrooms, chopped and slowly fried in the garlic/chili oil mix render down until ready to add some, though less, cheddar. My favourite cheat is to use mushroom 'cup of soup' powder as well as or instead of the real mushrooms, in which case I do not need cheddar to thicken or add body - the soup does the work. Note, I pour the powder directly into the pan, and slowly add water in order to control the consistency. Will I add chopped olives? Or maybe a chopped onion? Perhaps and perhaps not. Some things are whims which may or may not subsequently become habits.

Pesto? I love pesto sauce, but cannot honestly call it 'my cooking'. There is not much I would want to add to it apart from whatever meat I am adding. I'd never give it the status of a 'proper meal', because the way I do it, it is simply a case of cooking and draining the pasta, then generously spooning it out of the bottle. I'd only do that for 'working dinners', where cooking is happening in the middle of a project rather than in the middle of a primarily social context. Unless I was adding some especially nice meat to it.

FWIW, I'll mention that the 'entertainment value' is part of my outcome when I cook for someone. I want them to enjoy my kitchen choreography in the same way that I'd hope they'd be comfortable with my managing my wine glass and plate at a stand-up party. Elegant presentation of the cooking and of the product is at all stages, to me, an important part of any recipe.

SCBronco 's remark must have sent my unconscious mind on a search through my archives. Spider monkey sex. Not after, but during the cooking of a pasta meal. It was a reprise of the 'Ghost' pottery wheel scenario, the olive oil went everywhere, and we had to take our bowls straight from the kitchen to eat in the bath.

 

Sounds like a good date night...

 

fried eggs, bacon, homefries made with bacon grease, and some orange juice.

not sure why but it's the homestyle breakfast for dinner that ends up making her cuddle the hardest and makes me "D'aww" the most after she slips into a food coma. relaxed, mellow, a good way to escape the stress

 

if only i had enough freedom in my life to dictate what/if i was going to prepare myself for breakfast much less the breakfast of someone else.

 

I consider my SO to be a slightly better cook than I am but fortunately, no matter which of us are cooking it's all good as we both have similar tastes in food. When we're eating in it's light stuff, grilled or broiled meat or fish and stir fried vegetables or maybe some pasta with a white wine or a bolognese sauce. We both like simple, quick and easy. If we're out it's usually a flaky fish or saucy pasta dishes for me and beef or lamb for him, washed down with some chilled white wine for both of us, no matter the main course (neither of us are fans of red wine). He's a Brit and I know he likes him some meat pies which I haven't tried yet but don't believe I'd be a huge fan of. Neither of us really go for fried foods. We both enjoy dessert, maybe me a little more than him. I love anything lemony but rarely anything with chocolate as most places tend to overdue it. He turned me on to creme brulee and if I don't see something lemony on the menu, I'll usually go for that.

I had never had good Indian food until I was in the UK a couple of years ago. Very delicious and almost erotic. If I was really into cooking, I'd try to learn how to make it myself.

I do make a mean eggplant parmigiana but haven't made it for him yet.

The best meal is the meal we enjoy cooking and eating together.

 

I haven't had a date night in ages but when I do, it is more likely that we go out than stay in. The idea is to get away from our kids and staying in is not conducive to this.

I may have to figure out a way to farm our kids out for a night.