Looking for Valentine's recipes that will help get you in the romantic mood?
Well you've come to the right place as we've rounded up a selection of dishes that include aphrodisiacs - a substance found in foods that will help stimulate your desires.
It can be found in chocolate, chill peppers, avocado, chocolate, oysters, honey, watermelon, pine nuts and more.
If you want to add an extra sparkle to your Valentine's evening take a look at our recipes designed just for love.
Tempura rock oysters with wasabi mayonnaise
Ingredients
6 large rock oysters
1 heaped tbsp of Heinz mayonnaise
Wasabi paste
Pinch of salt
Lime zest
Mild red chili
1 spring onion
1 tsp of finely chopped chives
75 grams cup of tempura flour
150ml of ice cold sparkling water
Vegetable oil
Method:
- Shuck the oysters and leave in the oyster liquor. Clean and dry the domed shell half as you will need this later.
- Prepare the wasabi mayonnaise by mixing a small amount of Heinz mayonnaise with wasabi paste. Stir well to ensure there are no lumps and then add the rest of the mayonnaise. Add more wasabi to taste.
- Shred the red chilli and spring onion as fine as possible and leave in iced water to crisp. Heat the oil to 200°C.
- To make the batter, sieve flour and a pinch of fine salt into a bowl, add ¾ of the cold sparkling water and whisk until well incorporated. Try not to overwork it, you are looking for the consistency of double cream, add a little more water if required.
- Remove the oysters carefully out of the reserved liquor, shaking off the excess, pass through the batter and fry quickly for 1 minute until beautiful and crisp, drain well on absorbent cloth and season with a pinch of salt.
- Spoon or pipe some wasabi mayonnaise onto the oyster, and then sprinkle on a few shredded pieces of chili, spring onion, chives and a little fresh lime zest with a microplane. Place back in the shell and enjoy immediatley.
Halloumi and asparagus kebabs
Ingredients
2 packs of halloumi
1 pack Specially Selected asparagus tips
1 lime
3 tbsp olive oil
½ red chili
Method:
- Soak some kebab skewers in water (to prevent burning). Drain the packs of halloumi then slice into finger sized pieces. Take the pack of asparagus tips and cut them in half. Carefully thread the cheese and asparagus onto the skewers.
- Whisk together 1 tbsp lime juice and the olive oil. Thinly slice the chili and add to the oil. Season to taste. Brush this over the kebabs and grill, turning and basting occasionally until golden brown.
Indulgent spicy hot chocolate with red wine
Ingredients
400ml Asda Extra Special Cabernet Sauvignon
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp grated nutmeg
2 cloves
1 orange, peel only
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
300ml semi-skimmed milk
200ml single cream
100g Asda Chosen by You plain chocolate, roughly chopped
1tsp Asda Chosen by You cocoa
Method:
- Place the red wine, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, orange peel and sugar in a medium pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered then strain.
- Meanwhile, bring the milk and cream to the boil, remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Allow it to melt for 1 minute then gently stir the mixture until the chocolate is fully incorporated.
- Gradually pour the wine into the hot chocolate in a steady stream, whisking continuously to prevent the mixture from separating.
- Divide between 4 mugs and sprinkle on a little cocoa powder and orange zest.