Lovely Valentin (o) Menu: Orange carrots with pistachio crumble & spaghetti with avocado sauce, melted tomatoes and bacon flakes
Contains ads for sparkling champagne
H appy Valentine! Next week, it's time again: February 14th is the day of the lovers, the little ones, and the small touches.
Actually, the day of remembrance goes back to a Christian martyr named Valentinus who, for ominous religious reasons was beheaded. Despite the prohibition of a Roman emperor, the stubborn clergyman continued to secretly marry couples according to the Christian rite. And they also gave them flowers from his garden on top of that. Infamous! Of course, a Roman emperor does not let such a thing go through long - and Valentinus had an unfortunate rendezvous with the hangman's sword. Valentine's Day was promptly canceled as an official holiday in the Roman calendar of the Church in 500 AD - and not until 1969.
But let's forget the scary backgrounds and focus on the beautiful that we still love to celebrate today : To your loved one, your best friend, mom, dad, or other people you are most fond of, with a nice touch: I like you very much, you are important to me!
And how could to do that more beautifully than with a home-cooked, yummy little menu? That's why I came up with an Italian-inspired Valentine's menu for Duca del Valentino. With plenty of vegetables, great flavors, a bit crunchy - and sparkling champagne accompaniment to toast and celebrate.
Love!
Duca del Valentino is at home in Italy in Emilia-Romagna. It is made in the region around Savignano sul Panaro. The municipality is surrounded by vineyards about 19 kilometers southeast of Modena and about 25 kilometers west of Bologna. Here the grapes ripen for the Italian Spumante. These are picked by hand at the beginning of September and sown directly in Savignano - to a fruity Bianco Secco and a fresh Rosato Secco. And they go perfectly well with a small menu for loved ones:
Antipasti is served in a spicy orange brewed carrot with a crunchy pistachio-thyme crumble . To do this, crumble a small toasted bread with goat cream cheese. And enjoy a fresh Rosato Secco with hints of lemon, raspberry and strawberry.
The main dish is then spaghetti with a light avocado sauce, melted tomatoes and crunchy bacon flakes . With a tingling glass of Bianco Secco with delicate aromas of pear, green apple and peach.
The menu can be conveniently, easily and quickly prepared with ingredients from the normal supermarket. And certainly makes a powerful impression on your Valentine's. Incidentally, you're responsible for the dessert yourself - I'm sure you'll think of something suitable. Maybe there's some sparkling wine left in the bottle ...
Have it tasty!Put some of the carrot green aside for the decoration (yes, it is absolutely edible!). Then wash the carrots thoroughly and peel thinly.
Boil the orange juice with onions, garlic, ginger and chilli powder in a wide pan. Put in the carrots, reduce the heat and allow to simmer on a low heat for about 15 - 20 minutes. In the meantime, the carrots should still have some bite.
In the meantime, in a small, coated pan, gently roast the pistachios with thyme, chilli powder and salt over medium heat. The pistachios should get only a little color. If everything smells good, stir in the honey. Melt 1-2 minutes and then place on a plate lined with baking paper. Allow to cool.
Remove the orange carrots and onions from the broth and arrange on a plate or plates. Drizzle with a dash of olive oil and crumble the pistachio-thyme crumble over it. Decorate with carrot greens and sprinkle with sea salt.
Spread the goat cream cheese on the crispy loaves and serve.
The recipe for spaghetti with avocado sauce, melted tomatoes and bacon flakes
2 ripe avocados
1/2 small red onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh goat cheese (or normal)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
salt & pepper
4 thin slices of bacon
10 cherry tomatoes
2 sprigs of thyme
250 g Spaghetti
Sea Salt
The Halve the avocado, remove it with a spoon and remove the kernel. Process 1,5 avocados together with onion, cream cheese, lemon juice, garlic and salt & pepper in a blender or with a blender to a creamy sauce.
Crisp the bacon in a nonstick pan on medium crunchy brown roast meat. Remove from the pan and drain on a kitchen crepe.
In the pan with the bacon fat, fry the tomatoes along with the thyme twigs over medium heat until they are partially browned and tender.
Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the instructions on the packaging and drain. Return immediately to the pot and mix well with the avocado sauce. Distribute on two plates. Slice the remaining half avocado and break the bacon into pieces. Serve with the melted tomatoes on the spaghetti. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
