BE MINE, VALENTINE

"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly."  M.F.K.Fisher
VALENTINE'S DAY is all about the romance.  Chocolates, red wine, lace. . . That said, I've found the best way to my man's heart is through his stomach.  Seduction occurs in our kitchen, lingers over a naughtily good meal, finished with - okay, I admit - chocolate, red wine and lace.

Some of the very worst dinners we've had out have been on Valentine's Day.  Restaurants are so overwhelmed on this night, that service is always poor; waits occur, even with reservations; and the food, we found, is not up to the usual quality.

A romantic dinner at home need not be a hassle.  Toss together a salad, grill some steaks, and indulge in a store-bought chocolate confection.  What counts is that you spend time - quality time - with the one you love.  

One Valentine, my folks dropped by at the last minute, so for our romantic dinner we had four adults and three cranky kids, who had been deprived of their naps so they'd go to bed early.  At least I was able to light the candles.

SUGGESTED MENU   A short tour of the state, or grocery store, can net you some very fine, celebratory foods for a really special dinner for two.  

- Sunburst Trout, at the base of Cold Mountain, near Candor, NC, produces excellent caviar that is being used in finer restaurants across the country. Even Jacques Pepin loved it.  

- I still have a few beets in cold storage from Raleigh's Farmers Market.  We've got a stash of fresh pecans in the freezer from my sister and her husband's farm in Bailey.  

- And now's the time when goats are having their kids, so local, fresh chevre is not generally available.  But you can still find logs at your local cheese counters.  

- Recipes for starred items (*) can be found in THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK.  

Sunburst Trout Caviar, Chevre & Toast Points

Champagne

Salad of Roasted Red Beets, Toasted Pecans*, and Chevre

sparkling water

Wasabi-Mine Valentine Tuna Steaks*

medley of roasted red & yellow peppers with fingerling potatoes

Pinot Noir

Chocolate Pecan Pie*

Porto

PECANS

NUTS ABOUT PECANS

So do you say "pee-cans," or "puh-cahns?"  I say delicious about my favorite nut.  

We're having a bumper crop of pecans in NC this year.  I'm told that happens about every other year.

Pecans are always in my kitchen during the holidays.  I love to simply toast a batch to add to salads, esp. with goat cheese.  Or, toast with some hot sauce, for an easy and quick appetizer that goes well with cocktails.  See recipe below.

This year, my brother-in-law gave me an early gift.....a chest full of pecan halves, cleaned, hulled, shelled, picked over and through.   That, my friends, is quite a labor of love.  

When Dan was still woo-ing my sister Amy, and therefore her family, he gave us several large bags of pecan halves, shelled and ready to go.  I'd pull them from the freezer for a quick pie that winter.  Loved it.  The next winter, after they married and the woo-ing was over, he brought us a huge box of pecans......cracked, but still in their shells for us to do the picking.   Well, it took several evenings for both the hubby and I to sift through that box of nuts.  Not that I'm ungrateful, for that was still a huge gift.  But now, we very much appreciate the effort it takes to get the nuts shelled and cleaned!  I don't know what I did this year to get back into his favor!

Dan spreads a huge plastic sheet under his trees, then "bumps" each tree with the backhoe on his tractor to shake the nuts down. Then he just has to dump the nuts from the sheet into boxes.  Some of his hired help have a pecan cracking machine, which gently opens up the nuts.  From that point, someone has to sit in front of the TV several evenings, with the box and plastic bags.  As I said, it's a labor of love.  I'd better stay in Dan's good favor, huh?

Pecans are native to LA and Texas, and have been a Southern staple since the get-go.  Pecan tassies, nougat, pie, ice cream....got a favorite?

HERE'S A RECIPE:

SPICY TOASTED PECANS from  THE OUTER BANKS COOKBOOK

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or Texas Pete sauce (optional)

1 teaspoon seasoned salt and pepper

2 1/2 cups pecan halves

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add seasoned salt and pepper, and Tabasco or Texas Pete sauce if desired.

3.  Remove pan from heat, and add pecans, stirring until well coated.  Spread pecans in a shallow baking pan and bake until toasted, 8 to 10 minutes.

4.  Cool completely before storing.