A Chef's Table

Make a romantic meal at home
By Jim Coleman with Maiken Scott

Jim Coleman Valentine's Day is one of the busiest nights in restaurants. If you can't get a reservation in your favorite romantic dining spot, or don't want to deal with crowds and hurried waiters, why not prepare a delicious and romantic meal at home?

You could surprise your sweetheart with dinner or you could cook together, which is a lot of fun as well! Be creative in decorating your food: use edible flowers (such as organically grown violets, nasturtiums and pansies) or cut vegetables into heart shapes.

Ginger Chinese Noodle Soup

6 ounces of diced lobster tail meat
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of minced shallots
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
6 tablespoons of white wine
2 cups of arborio rice
3 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice
4 cups of low-sodium chicken stock
1 large tomato, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped
12 asparagus spears, cut in half on the diagonal
1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 tablespoons of thinly-sliced fresh basil
1 teaspoon of salt

Preheat the oven to 400*F. Coat an oven-proof saute pan with cooking spray and place it over medium-high heat. Add the lobster, garlic, shallots and red bell pepper, and saute until the lobster is just cooked. Remove the lobster from the pan and set it aside to cool.

Add the wine, rice and lemon juice to the pan, and cook for two minutes while stirring. Add one cup of stock and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the liquid has just evaporated. Add 1 1/2 cups more of stock, and allow the stock to evaporate again while stirring.

Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of stock, the tomato, asparagus, dill, basil and salt. Transfer the pan to the oven and finish cooking for about 20 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pan from the oven, and stir in the reserved lobster. This recipe serves four.

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