An Easy, Sexy, Healthy Valentine's Day Dinner

Photo by Youngna Park

Roasted Quail, Mushroom Polenta, Fennel Salad and Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries Recipes

Featured item: FEB 4, 2008

Sexy food doesn't have to be saturated or heavy food. Fennel, which is rich in phytonutrients like flavonoids rutin and quercetin, has been shown to reduce inflammation and increase resistance to cancer. Dark chocolate and strawberries are both high in antioxidants known to lower the bad LDL cholesterol—and, coincidentally, promote good heart health.

Winter vegetables like fennel are available from local sources in the cold months, reducing transportation pollution. Quails are not subjected to the cruel livestock production practices of mainstream poultry, so they’re a more humane choice. Choosing chocolate that’s both organic and Fair Trade, such as Dagoba, supports good care of the land, and a living wage for workers at every level of the production chain.

Anyone who's tried for a romantic restaurant dinner on Valentine's Day knows that it's a nightmare of harried service, price-gouged prix-fixes, and deflated hopes. Adding insult to injury, no one gets the day off, so you can’t spend the afternoon preparing an elaborate meal. But with this menu, you and your love can have the perfect sophisticated and romantic dinner in under an hour.

Fennel is just the right first course because it entices all of the senses: Its fragrant, licorice-like essence perfumes the table, each bulb comes with green fronds that make an alluring garnish, its crunch is delightful, and its flavor pairs beautifully with olive oil and lemon. Curls of nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese add the final savory layer. Snap apart the crisp leaves, arrange them in simple piles onto plates, anoint them with oil, lemon and cheese, and voila: The first course is ready.

Quails and mushroom polenta go together not just because of their flavors. They also happen to cook in exactly the same time: 25 minutes. Once your quails are in the oven, you can focus on the stirring that creates lush, creamy polenta, and your quick mushroom sauté. Those quails will be resting at room temperature (making them extra juicy) as you fold the sautéed mushrooms into your polenta. Set the golden-brown quails directly onto polenta in the plates, and dinner is on the table.

No aphrodisiac is as simple as beautiful strawberries dipped in luxurious dark chocolate. It's the perfect pairing with that final flute of Champagne. (And if you need some step-by-step instruction, check out my cooking demo on Sprig by clicking here.)—Jay Weinstein

Winter Fennel Salad with Lemon and Shaved Parmigiano

1 head fennel
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 block Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1/4 lb)

1. Cut the bottom half-inch from the fennel bulb, and trim tops just where they begin to turn into cylindrical stalks. Discard the outermost leaf. Reserve two small fronds, if they are fresh and attractive (fronds are the wispy frills at the ends of the stalks – they look like fresh dill).
2. Separate the remaining leaves, and snap them apart with your fingers into large bite-size pieces. Arrange the pieces into piles on two separate appetizer plates. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the fennel. Sprinkle with salt. Garnish with fronds.
3. Using a swivel-style vegetable peeler, shave "peelings" from the block of Parmigiano, directly over each salad. They should have about five or six slivers of cheese each. Serve with white wine.

Roasted Quails on Mushroom Polenta

Simple to cook, quails require nothing but salt and pepper to exhibit their savory, grassy flavor. Ask your butcher for "sleeve boned" quails, if possible. They have bones only in the legs and wing tips. Bone-in quails are fine, though.

1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 quails (preferably boneless)
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Make the polenta: Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Lower flame and season the polenta with salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon). Simmer polenta slowly over low heat until thick and smooth, about 25 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon butter and Parmesan cheese.
2. Make the mushrooms: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over high heat; add mushrooms and cook until very soft, and lightly browned (don’t stir for the first five minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Fold cooked mushrooms into polenta.
3. Cook the quails: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Season quails inside and out with salt and pepper. Toss with olive oil. Arrange in a roasting pan or baking dish, and place on center rack of oven. Cook until golden brown and medium-well, about 15 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving atop portions of polenta, two per person. Juices from pan may be poured over the top.

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

This sweet classic pairs beautifully with a sparkling wine such as an Italian Spumante.

1 chocolate bar (70% cacao, or milk)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 large strawberries with stems

1. Line a pan with waxed paper, foil, or parchment.
2. Melt the chocolate and vegetable oil together: Use a double boiler, or the microwave oven. If microwaving, use a small glass bowl. Work in 10-second intervals, stirring well with a fork in-between, until it just melts. It should be 88 degrees.
3. Holding the stem, roll a strawberry through the melted chocolate, and then set it onto the parchment. Repeat with remaining berries. Store in refrigerator until 15 minutes before serving.