We know you single folks are busy. iList Paducah's Kelsie Gray plans that first date so you don't have to!

May 31, 2011

An Aphrodisiac Farmer’s Market Dinner for Two

As you might have figured out by now, we here at iList are fairly smitten with a) all things local and b) all things delectable. For this week’s iDate, I thought I’d stir the pot with something a bit different by helping all the Paducah-area lovebirds out there concoct a lust-worthy feast. Summertime cooking is all about snapping up the freshest food possible, keeping the kitchen cool, and celebrating the long, lazy days with long, lazy meals (and long, lazy kisses, if you play your cards right).  Don’t fancy yourself much of a cook? I’ve come up with a complete meal — from a teasingly easy hors d’œuvre to a sinfully simple dessert — that anyone can assemble.  And the best part? A great deal of the necessary ingredients can be found at our very own Downtown Farmer’s Market. Stay in with your sweetie tonight and give one (or all) of these recipes a try.  I can all but guarantee a delicious outcome.

Starter—Insalata Caprese

This incredibly fool-proof, six ingredient appetizer is about as aphrodisiac as it gets.  Sweet basil has been revered for centuries as an herb that guaranteed fidelity from lovers who might otherwise wander.  In Haitian lore, basil was a gift from Erzulie, the goddess of love.  And what about tomatoes?  It may just be the gardener in me, but I think tomatoes are one of the sexiest fruits in the garden—voluptuous, candy-sweet, smooth-skinned, with juice that dribbles shamelessly down the chin when you nip into its lusty flesh.  If that isn’t enough to convince you of their powers, know also that tomatoes were once a true forbidden fruit.  Up until just a couple hundred years ago, the tomato was known as the “wolf peach.”  Its scarlet coloring was considered a warning of its dangers, and people avoided eating it. If you want to make a true feast for the eyes (and tongue) out of this starter, choose a rich heirloom tomato such as Cherokee Purple or Mortgage Lifter.

Ingredients:

• 1 large, fresh tomato (or two smaller tomatoes), sliced into 1/4” thick slices
• 4 ounces of FRESH mozzarella cheese (the kind you buy—or make yourself—that’s formed into a ball), sliced to the same thickness as your tomato
• 8-10 whole, fresh sweet basil leaves
• extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
• sea salt (to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

On a chilled plate, arrange the tomato slices, mozzarella slices, and basil leaves in an alternating pattern.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle on some sea salt and cracked black pepper, get two forks (or share one!), and enjoy. Make sure you get a bite of tomato, cheese, and basil on each forkful.

Main Course—Zucchini & Summer Squash “Linguine” with Nutmeg Butter

I’m not sure zucchini has ever been “officially” touted as an aphrodisiac vegetable—but who HASN’T looked at a long, thick, firm zucchini squash and laughed like a fourth grader?  That’s what I thought.  This time of year, zucchini (and it’s cousin, the yellow summer squash) are so abundant, farmers are practically giving them away.  Their buttery soft flesh instantly absorbs any flavor you put to it, and when those flavors are garlic, butter, and nutmeg, the zucchini becomes very sexy indeed.  Also, according to my sources (and firsthand knowledge), garlic and nutmeg are both lust-inducing.  The spicy heat of garlic is said to stir amorous desires, and nutmeg was prized by Asian women as a love charm.  One of the best parts of this recipe is that you don’t have to tediously boil water on the stove.  Correctly cut and briefly sauteed, the squash in this recipe is a perfect stand-in for noodles.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized zucchinis OR 1 larger zucchini and 1 large yellow summer squash
• 2 (or 3 or 4 or 40) cloves garlic, minced, pressed, or smashed
• ½ a stick of butter, preferably unsalted (you can always use more butter, if you want it extra rich)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
• nutmeg, to taste (I suggest ½ tablespoon)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• a handful of grated Pecorino-Romano cheese (or Parmesan, if that’s what you have on hand)

Using a knife (and a lot of patience) or a mandoline (if you have one, you lucky person!), slice the zucchini and summer squash into very thin slices, the shape and width of a flat noodle like linguine or fettucini.  Remove any seeds you find, though don’t get OCD about it.  In a large skillet, combine the olive oil and butter until melted, and add the garlic.  Let the garlic simmer in the butter and oil on low heat for about five minutes—until the butter takes on the flavor of the garlic.  Add the chopped sage and nutmeg and simmer for another minute or two, tasting the butter and adding nutmeg, if needed.  You don’t want this to taste like a pumpkin pie or dessert—you just want a hint of the nutmeg.  Finally, add the zucchini and/or summer squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the “noodles” start to become tender.  Don’t leave them in longer than is absolutely necessary.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl, toss it with the cheese, and serve immediately.  Don’t be afraid to get butter on your chin.  As a variation (if you HAVE to have meat of some kind), you can add scallops, shrimp, or the ever-ubiquitous chicken to this dish. 

Side Dish—Bread with Rosemary-Garlic Dipping Oil

This isn’t so much a recipe as it is a suggestion.  One of the best parts of the Farmer’s Market is that our local bakery, Kirchhoff’s, is now selling freshly baked bread there so that you don’t have to make an extra trip downtown.  Pick up a loaf of French bread (or other crusty white bread) and prepare this very simple, endlessly variable dipping oil.  One again, I’ve made sure to include some noted aphrodisiacs.  Rosemary was employed during Medieval times as a perfume meant to allure men, red peppers have been long believed to contain a complete arsenal of romantic powers, and we’ve already discussed garlic.  Besides, who doesn’t love bread as an accompaniment to pasta?  The fact that our pasta dish isn’t actual pasta only means a) you have more room for bread or b) you won’t have a full belly to drag you down when the aphrodisiacs in this meal start to work their magic.

Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic, crushed or minced
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a shallow dish, combine all of the ingredients in the order they appear on the list.  Let this potion sit briefly, for the flavors to combine, and serve with the sliced bread for dipping.  If you wish, you can sprinkle in some of the leftover Pecorino Romano from the zucchini recipe.

Dessert—Honeyed Strawberries with Whipped Cream

Honey, strawberries, and cream are three of the most decadent foods I can think of when it comes to dessert, and two of those three ingredients can be found at the Farmer’s Market.  Strawberries are known as “fruit nipples” in erotic literature, and they don’t call it a “honeymoon” for nothing (back in the day, newlyweds drank honey liquer to “sweeten” their matrimony) .  Furthermore, I always have lots of leftover whipped cream when I make a batch.  You can most likely fill in the blanks from there.

Ingredients:

• 10 large or 20 small strawberries, hulled (cut off the tops)
• 4 tbsp honey (Boyle’s Honey at the Farmer’s Market comes in flavors like peach and raspberry, for extra sinfulness)
• 8 oz. VERY chilled heavy whipping cream
• splash of pure vanilla extract (optional)

Put the strawberries in a bowl and drizzle them with honey.  In a small mixing bowl, pour in the cream and the splash of vanilla.  Set your electric mixer on high and whip the cream until stiff peaks form (or until you can scoop it out and lick it off your finger).  Spoon the whipped cream over the strawberries and serve immediately.  Try feeding them to each other and you might not even make it to the end of dessert.

Wine—take your pick!

No romantic meal is complete without a bottle of wine, and the vintners who display their wares at the Farmer’s Market will be happy to help you choose from their array of libations.  Purple Toad specializes in sweet dessert wines, and Glisson Vineyards can help you out with a semi-dry white, which is what I recommend as an accompaniment to this meal.  For a larger selection of local wines, head to Roof Brothers.  Just make sure you raise a glass or two to the farmers who grew your dinner, to summertime, and, of course, to your sweetheart.  Bon appetit.