Matt Preston’s guide to Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and Matt Preston knows the way to your loved one’s heart: through their stomach.

Matt Preston

4 min read

February 8, 2024 - 6:20PM

I have to come clean… This article was written for February 14, hence revealing that I fall into that age-old stereotype of thinking Valentine’s Day is something that can be planned on the day.

It had to be pointed out to me that if you want to take part in this “day of romance”, it requires some preparation. So for those who share my approach, take heed – and take note of these tips to help you make Valentine’s Day special for your special one.

KEEP IT AT HOME

A Valentine’s Day dinner reservation is vastly overrated. By all means, take your other half out the night before and tell them you love them, but I’d advise avoiding the actual day, with all those tables of two fawning over each other, the elaborate table engagement proposals, and the bill that always seems to be 30 per cent bigger.

Save the cash, make dinner at home and spend the money on some jewellery or a book on the history of World War II tanks – depending on who you’re dating. (Or if you want to signal the relationship is over, give them a towel or something with a three-pin plug on the end of it.)

Zucchini pesto pasta.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

The best ideas are often the simplest. Whether it’s mangoes and champagne, avocados and smoked salmon, oysters and whisky, or pizza and beer, the main planning requirement is to simply think about what makes your loved one happy. Nobody is judging you on how you choose to mark the day. It’s about enjoying what you love, with the one you love.

KEEP IT LIGHT

Romance and passion are too easily buried under heavy dishes like sausages and mash, a big roast or sticky date pudding – no matter how good they are. Instead, keep it light. Think thinly sliced steak seared in butter with lots of chives, a classic prawn cocktail, even a platter of shop-bought sushi. Or seek inspiration on this website (my favourites are Phoebe Wood’s golden pan-fried ricotta gnudi with lemon sage butter, and her lemon tart).

MAKE A MEMORY

A Valentine’s Day meal doesn’t need to be time-consuming and complex. Perhaps it’s as simple as creamy scrambled eggs on toast to remind you of your first breakfast together, or a quick-cooked lamb loin with minted peas, like the one you enjoyed on that romantic holiday years ago. It’s the thought that counts – that’s why we’re talking about this a few weeks out!

Baked chicken in cacio e pepe bagna cauda sauce.

CREATE A SENSORY EXPERIENCE

There’s something intimate about food eaten with your fingers, whether that’s spears of asparagus dripping with salty, melted butter or a rack of ribs glistening with a sweet, sticky barbecue sauce. If you want to go all out, treat them to this baked chicken in cacio e pepe bagna cauda sauce. It combines parmesan, black pepper and anchovies – three ingredients that fire up the passions, according to the ancient Romans. Plus, it can bring about a tender moment when the delicious sauce is dripping off your loved one’s chin.

A Valentine’s Day meal doesn’t need to be time-consuming and complex.

ADD AN APHRODISIAC

There’s so much inspiration in the feted aphrodisiacs of chocolate, figs, chilli and oysters. The recipe for Italian baci di fichi (fig kisses) makes bite-sized figs dipped in chocolate and nuts that are just made for popping into the mouth of your amore. Romance can also be found in the most unlikely of ingredients – lettuce has great passion-stoking powers, according to the ancient Egyptians, so get your salad on with a sexy cos.

Milk pudding with almond and strawberry.

SHARE A MOMENT

Seafood has a long association with romantic dinners and for more reasons than just flavour. Get up close and personal to share lobster tails grilled with a garlic or chamomile butter, or a bowl of mussels with white wine and garlic (with the resulting juices turned into a sauce with a dollop of crème fraîche). Or hit the beach at sunset with a blanket and a bucket of prawns (don’t forget to take insect repellent to ward off those mood-killing mozzies).

BE SWEET…

Valentine’s Day is the one day of the year when you can skip straight to dessert,

I say. Keep it classy with strawberries and cream topped with crumbled meringue, a rich chocolate mousse or a voluptuous just-set vanilla pannacotta.

… AND A LITTLE SALTY

Sweet and salty are one of the greatest unions of all time. Present your other half with a platter of ripe melon shrouded in gossamer-thin prosciutto or smoked ham; a Greek salad of feta, olives, tomatoes and sliced peaches or watermelon; or roasted figs stuffed with a mild blue cheese.

MAKE IT ABOUT THEM

Now is the time to surprise your loved one with an unexpected compromise. Perhaps it’s easing your New Year’s no-chocolate-in-the-house resolution to make their favourite gooey-centred chocolate lava cake before settling in to watch a movie of their choice. Earn extra brownie points by pausing for an interval to serve actual brownies and ice cream.

BE THOUGHTFUL

Forget the scented candles, overpriced roses and that Michael Bublé soundtrack. When it comes to setting the mood, their delight is in those little details that come from the heart. Hand them a glass of their favourite drink as soon as they walk in the door. And insist that it’s your turn to empty the dishwasher. I guarantee these little expressions of love will be far, far more effective at igniting their amorous feelings.

For more inspiration, here are 70 recipes for a romantic date night at home

For more food, travel and lifestyle news, go to delicious.com.au

Originally published as Matt Preston’s guide to Valentine’s Day