Last minute Valentine’s Day plans are my jam! Check out four of our most popular recipes, sure to make a perfect romantic night in! All you need is a bottle of wine and flowers! ❤️🍾🌹 Rigatoni with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Sausage • Perfect Filet Mignon with Herbed Garlic Butter • Poached Salmon in Coconut Lime Sauce over Rice Noodles • Lemon Pasta Puttanesca with Salmon
Rigatoni with Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Sausage Mixture:
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage mild
- 2 tsp Foxpoint seasoning or favorite Italian herb blend
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
Red Pepper Sauce:
- 12 oz. jar Roasted Red Peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp. Black pepper
- ¼ tsp. Smoked paprika
- ⅛ tsp. Cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 2 pounds rigatoni I like the oversized ones
- 2 spring fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil.
- While water is heating, make sausage mixture. Heat oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic. Turn heat down to medium high and cook for 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add salt to season. Add ground sausage, fennel and Italian seasoning. Cook 6-7 minutes or until browned. While cooking, use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up into small pieces. Turn heat off once browned and let sit. Cover to keep warm.
- Once pasta water is boiling, add rigatoni. Cook for 11-13 minutes or according to package instructions.
- While pasta is cooking, make red pepper sauce. Add the roasted red peppers, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper to the blender. Pulse until smooth. Using a saucepan, on medium heat, add the roasted red pepper puree. Bring to a simmer. Add the butter and allow to melt. Add the cream and Parmesan Cheese. Stir until silky and smooth. Once warmed, mix with sausage mixture and allow flavors to combine.
- Drain rigatoni. Gently toss rigatoni and sausage mixture in a large pasta bowl. Serve on individual plates. Top with fresh basil and extra freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Serves 4-6
Perfect Filet Mignon with Herbed Garlic Butter
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 filets roughly 6-8 oz each
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420-425 degrees.
- Remove filets from refrigerator 20-30 minutes prior to cooking. It’s best to have steak at room temperature before starting to prepare to ensure that you get an accurate cook time.
- Drizzle top side of filets with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Flip and repeat.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat on stove top. Add unsalted butter to pan. Once butter has melted, turn heat to high. Quickly add filets to pan, searing for 2 minutes on each side. Watch timing closely as to not overcook.
- After searing on both sides, quickly move to preheated oven. Set a timer for 5-6 minutes and ensure you don’t overcook. This will deliver a perfectly medium steak. Adjust time up or down by 1 minute if you want more rare or more cooked.
- Remove from oven and let sit 3-5 minutes. Plate steak and add pat of herbed garlic butter to the top, right before serving. Serve with potatoes and veggies.
Poached Salmon in Coconut Chili Lime Sauce over Rice Noodles
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets 6oz each preferably skinless
- Kosher salt & pepper
- 4 Tbsp olive or avocado oil divided
- 4 Tbsp brown sugar divided
- 8 oz box brown rice noodles I like Thai Kitchen brand
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp ginger powder
- 3 Tbsp lemongrass paste
- 2 Tbsp chilli garlic paste adjust to taste
- 14 oz can coconut cream
- 14 oz can coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp lime zest 1 lime
- 2 green onions diced (green and white parts),for garnish
For Serving:
- Lime for zest and/or wedges
- Sliced green onions
- Shredded carrots or cabbage
- Grilled vegetables such as asparagus
Instructions
- Preheat oven to broil.
- Place salmon filets on cookie sheet lined with parchment. Drizzle 2 Tbsp of oil on salmon and season with kosher salt & pepper. Sprinkle 1 tsp brown sugar on each filet. Place salmon in oven on top rack and broil for 3-4 min. It should be slightly browned and caramelized on the outside but slightly rare inside. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Fill stockpot with water and bring to a boil.
- Heat remaining oil in a large saucepan on over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Cook until garlic is golden brown, approx two minutes. Add remaining brown sugar and cook for 20 seconds until it becomes slightly caramelized, then stir in chili paste. Add coconut cream & milk and stir, scraping the bottom of the skillet to dissolve any bits stuck on the base into the sauce. Stir in fish sauce, salt, pepper, paprika and lime juice, increase heat to high. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Using a spatula, place salmon in the skillet of sauce. Lower heat and simmer for 4 minutes, or until just cooked. While cooking, use a small spoon and spoon sauce over top of salmon, almost like you are basting it. After 4 minutes, turn stove off and allow salmon and sauce to stay warm in pan. Adjust salt to taste with fish sauce.
- Place rice noodles in boiling water. Cook quickly, roughly 5 minutes until just soft throughout. Drain in colander. Do not rinse. Using tongs, plate noodles on the center of each plate. Top with a filet of salmon. Spoon ½-2/3 cup of sauce over each filet and noodles. Garnish with diced green onions and lime zest and any other toppings of choice.
- Note, you could easily substitute brown rice or regular rice for the noodles.
Lemon Pasta Puttanesca with Salmon
An unexpected date night at home created this wonderfully delicious pasta. We love the salty and briny flavors balanced with the richness of the salmon to deliver an elevated puttanesca dish. The majority of the ingredients are likely on hand in your pantry, making it quick to pull together!. Perfect for a Valentine’s meal at home!
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 salmon filets about 4 ounces each
- 8 oz spaghetti substitute gluten free if desired
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter cubed
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup capers roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives roughly chopped
- 6 Tbsp lemon juice divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus extra to serve
- 1/4 cup parsley stems removed and finely chopped
- Red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Zest of a lemon
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to broil. Fill a large stockpot with salted water and bring to a boil. While stove and oven are heating up, prepare sauce.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat until foamy. Reduce heat to medium and add shallots, garlic, ¼ teaspoon each red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes until shallots have softened, lowering heat if necessary, ensuring that the butter and garlic don’t brown. Turn off heat and add capers, olives, and 4 tablespoons lemon juice. Cover and let sit until pasta and salmon are done.
- Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, 9-10 minutes or according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, lay salmon filets on a baking sheet covered with foil. Drizzle salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for 6-9 minutes or until salmon is just cooked through. Drizzle 2 tablespoons remaining lemon juice over salmon.
- Return skillet with sauce to medium heat. Using tongs, transfer cooked pasta to skillet and toss to coat in sauce. Add parmesan and parsley. Taste pasta for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve salmon filets whole alongside pasta or break them up into smaller pieces and gently mix in. To serve, top pasta with lemon zest, extra Parmesan, and freshly ground black pepper.
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