Stay Home Valentine's Dinner

by Meredith Antunez February 10, 2016

I spent most of my adult years working on Valentine's Day, which was really just fine by me. I don't love the crowded restaurants and overpriced "special" menus, and even now that I have the chance to go out on that holiday, I would still rather stay home. I think it is incredibly romantic to stay in and cook for my Valentine. We have a set menu, and I am happy to share the main course, because it is so delicious and so easy to pull off.

This dish was inspired by a wonderful trip to Italy that my husband and I took about 5 years ago. We asked the concierge for a restaurant recommendation, and he made reservations for us and told us he would arrange the transportation. We met in the lobby and were escorted into a run-down van that took a very long and winding route far outside Positano. I truly thought we were about to become part of an international kidnapping. We finally arrived at a rustic building, and proceeded to have some of the most amazing food of our lives. The meal that stood out the most was a spicy crab pasta. I came back and made my own version, paired with homemade spicy pasta, which happens to be red. A Valentine's tradition was born.

Rustic Italian Crab Pasta

Serves 2

2 pints cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 shallots, minced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large sprigs of thyme

1 bottle white wine

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red chili flake

1/2 lb. lump crab meat

4 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 lb. good quality pasta

chopped parsley, for garnish

Place the tomatoes, shallots, garlic, thyme, white wine and chili flake in a small saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the tomatoes are falling apart. Remove the thyme and discard. Stir in the butter and season to taste. Very gently fold in the crabmeat, just to combine. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, and place half in each dish. Spoon the sauce over the pasta, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with parsley. *You could add cooked shrimp, scallops or lobster if you wanted to make this an even more decadent main course