Cottage pie recipe for Valentine's Day

Cooking for Valentine's Day need not be complicated. In fact, the joy is in preparing something to savour together. It's all about sharing the experience. So try this recipe for a romantic dinner.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

100g minced beef

1 small carrot, diced

1 small stick of celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 tsp thyme, fresh or dried

salt and pepper

puff pastry

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion, carrots and celery. Fry on medium heat for 5 minutes and let it sweat a little. Then add the mince and garlic, stir for 5 minutes or until the meat has turned brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into two small baking dishes; heart-shaped ramekins if you have them.

Roll the puff pastry and cut into shape to cover the top of the baking dishes. You can add pastry hearts or initials if you want make it even more special.

Pre-heat the oven as the pastry perform much better in a preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes or according to the pastry instructions.

Serve the cottage pie with salad or steamed vegetables and enjoy. You can add new potatoes if required, but do save room for pudding!

To dress up the special occasion, light a candle for the table as it always gives the room a warm glow. Use special napkins, your best glasses and china so the evening sparkles, and add a soft sound of music, low enough to allow conversation but it's there to fill the silence when you look into each other's eyes.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Comments

Indonesian fried spring rolls (Lumpia Goreng)

I don't often make Indonesian food because the ingredients are hard to find, but our local supermarkets are getting better at stocking ethnic ingredients. In the frozen section of Tesco, near the samosas, you can find the spring roll pastry. Don't bother asking the branch in Chester. I was laughed at by the cashier when I asked for spring roll skin, because 'skin' is what we call the wrapper in Indonesian. Her more helpful colleague offered me filo pastry instead, which can be a good substitute. I'm afraid no one in Chester has yet to taste my amazing spring rolls as a result. Friends in Southsea are luckier! Here are the ingredients to make 30 spring rolls (the packs come in 30 or 40 pieces) 1 medium head of cabbage, thinly sliced 2 carrots, julienned 1 red or yellow pepper, julienned 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 medium courgette, julienned 1 tablespoon of Oyster sauce (omit if cooking for vegan) 2 tbsp soy sauce salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp vegetable oil f...

‘Southsea dinosaur’ returns

Luna Park 2021, an eagerly anticipated new public artwork for Portsmouth designed by internationally renowned artists Ivan Morison and Heather Peak of Studio Morison will be launched on 2 October 2021 on a celebratory day in Southsea Common. The 1.4 metres bronze sculpture is a tribute to the original 53-foot high 2010 artwork Luna Park, which tragically burned down on Southsea Common. The artists will unveil a new sculpture that responds to ten years of public demand to ‘bring back the Southsea Dinosaur’. The new public artwork will be located within a direct sightline to the position of the original Luna Park sculpture. It will sit on top of a fossil Portland stone plinth with a QR code which when scanned with a smartphone will connect to an Augmented Reality experience. People will be transported to a digital rendering of the original artwork, seemingly standing life-size in front of them on Southsea Common. Viewers will also be able to use their mobile devices to visit a...

Black History Month celebrations continues

Black History Month (BHM) is held every October with the aim of promoting knowledge of black history, culture and heritage, and positive black contributions to British society. In support of BHM the University of Portsmouth, in conjunction with the Multicultural Staff Network and Student Union and Portsmouth Film Society, is supporting various activities throughout the Month. Events also mark the The Windrush 70th anniversary, celebrating and honouring the pioneering, Windrush generation that came to Britain who have helped to shape British social, cultural and political life. On 31 October, a day of events will be held at the University starting with the launch of the Race Equality Charter. The launch event will give staff an opportunity to learn more about the charter and will be opened by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Galbraith. Dr Deborah Gabriel, Founder and Director of Black British Academics and Co-Chair of Bournemouth University’s Race Equality Charter Steering ...

SouthseaScene

Search This Blog