anniversary os meal?

katiesmummy

it is mine and oh 2 year anniversary in a couple of weeks, and i want to cook a special meal for us.

only problem is i have no clue what to cook! i usually cook things like spag bol, lasange, curry, sweet n sour chicken, toad in hole, roast dinner. i would really like to cook something that i havent served before, preferably a starter, main course and dessert.

he eats some fish, i dont eat any except tinned tuna. other than that i am pretty flexible. i have loads of meat in the freezer- you name it, i have it lol

any ideas anyone?

Stephen_Leak

Here's a nice simple starter. In view of the occasion, omit the onion.

MOZZARELLA SALAD

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

100g packet of Mozzarella cheese
1 large beef tomato
1 small bunch of fresh basil
1 large onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil*
Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Open the pack of cheese and drain off the liquid. Wash the tomato. Wash and chop the basil.

Cut the cheese into an equal number of slices. Cut off the top and bottom off of the tomato, and then cut it into an equal number of slices. Peel the onion, cut off the top and bottom, and then cut it into an equal number of slices.

Arrange the cheese, tomato and onion on two small plates, overlapping the slices. Sprinkle on the chopped basil. Dribble on the olive oil. Season with the pepper.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Add some stoned olives. Omit the onion. Serve with ciabatta or focaccia bread.

* Ideally, you should use extra virgin olive oil for salads. However, if you only have the normal stuff, you can use that instead.

It's a pity you don't do more in the way of fish. I've got a fabulous Tagliatelle with smoked salmon (Tagliatelle al Salmone Affumicato) in a cream sauce that would fit the bill perfectly.

katiesmummy

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

Here's a nice simple starter. In view of the occasion, omit the onion.

MOZZARELLA SALAD

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

100g packet of Mozzarella cheese
1 large beef tomato
1 small bunch of fresh basil
1 large onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil*
Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Open the pack of cheese and drain off the liquid. Wash the tomato. Wash and chop the basil.

Cut the cheese into an equal number of slices. Cut off the top and bottom off of the tomato, and then cut it into an equal number of slices. Peel the onion, cut off the top and bottom, and then cut it into an equal number of slices.

Arrange the cheese, tomato and onion on two small plates, overlapping the slices. Sprinkle on the chopped basil. Dribble on the olive oil. Season with the pepper.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Add some stoned olives. Omit the onion. Serve with ciabatta or focaccia bread.

* Ideally, you should use extra virgin olive oil for salads. However, if you only have the normal stuff, you can use that instead.

It's a pity you don't do more in the way of fish. I've got a fabulous Tagliatelle with smoked salmon (Tagliatelle al Salmone Affumicato) in a cream sauce that would fit the bill perfectly.

ooh that sounds yummy, thank you!

Stephen_Leak

Hang on, you like tinned tuna. :idea: One matching Italian main course coming up. Swap the dried herbs for the left-over fresh basil from the starter and add it at the end.

TUNA PASTA

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves of garlic
2 onions
2 tablespoons of olive oil
400g tin of plum tomatoes*
2 teaspoons of oregano or mixed herbs
400g tin of tuna in brine
Ground pepper to taste
400ml of water
¼ of a teaspoon of salt
200g of conchigle** pasta

METHOD

Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the onions and chop them into tiny pieces.

Put the oil into a saucepan on a moderate heat. Add the garlic and onion. Fry the garlic and onion for about 2 minutes. Stir them every half a minute or so.

Open the tin of tomatoes. Pour the juice into the pan. Chop the tomatoes while they are still in the can (it’s easier than chasing them around the pan).

Put the chopped tomatoes into the pan. Add the herbs. Continue to cook, stirring as the mixture boils.

Open the tin of tuna and drain off the brine. Add the tuna. Mix together gently, trying not to break up the tuna too much. Season with the pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.

Put the water and salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Put the pasta into the water. Stir it to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Bring back to the boil and continue to cook, stirring to stop it sticking.

Begin testing it about 2 minutes before the packet instructions say it should be done. The best way to judge if pasta is cooked is to bite it. This is tricky, because if you fish out a bit and stick in your mouth you may burn your mouth on the boiling water. Wait a bit and blow on it, then bite it. If it is hard it needs longer. If it is chewy (or ‘al dente’, Italian for ‘to the teeth’) it is ready. If it is soft it is overcooked.

Drain the pasta in a sieve or colander. Season with the pepper.

Always ‘take the pasta to the sauce’. Put the pasta in the pan with the sauce and stir until thoroughly coated.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Add a 50g tin of anchovy fillets in olive oil. Use the oil from this to fry the garlic and onions. Chop up the anchovies and add them at the same time as the tomatoes.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

* Plum tomatoes can be used either whole or chopped. It is difficult to stick chopped tomatoes back together again if you need to use them whole.

** Conchigle is the seashell-shaped pasta and just looks appropriate for a fish sauce.

katiesmummy

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

** Conchigle is the seashell-shaped pasta and just looks appropriate for a fish sauce.

you knew i was going to ask that didnt you?? thank you again, that sounds really nice- my version of tuna pasta is a tin of tuna, some pasta and some sweetcorn all mixed together

your version sounds much better though

Penelope_Penguin

Congratulations :beer: We have an older thread - romantic meal for two. I'll add this thread to that one later.

Penny. x