Gavina, chef and author of 'The 69 most aphrodisiac recipes of vegetarian cuisine'
Celebrating ** Valentine's Day ** throwing the house out the window is a lawful option. But we turn it around by proposing a cozy -and above all exciting- dinner at home. To do this, we go to Maria Pilar Ibern, Gavina , who runs his own vegetarian cooking school in addition to acting as a gastronomic consultant and conducting creative catering and conferences on food and health . Gavina knows the properties of all the vegetable ingredients in her dishes and how to enhance them with 'aphrodisiac triad': ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.
Like an alchemist of love, she mixes each flavor playing with daring contrasts that try to make the palate the perfect prelude to a special night with your partner. . Gavina has proposed three appetizers, three main dishes and three desserts that create a true explosion of the taste buds. What happens beyond the plate, is up to you.
APPETIZERS to whet your appetite...
aphrodite cup
This is how Gavina begins this culinary journey through sensuality to taste, with the Greek goddess of lust and love . This appetizer has a very evocative appearance of an attractive fuchsia colour. Our chef warns us: " the foundation of seduction is to surprise little by little , like this starter that looks like a dessert, that looks like a cocktail but is a cold soup..."
(4-6 people) It is prepared by grinding half a kilo of beetroot with goat yogurt, 50 cl. of soy milk cream, a pinch of herb salt, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, along with spices ( a pinch of cumin powder and four touches of the five-pepper grinder ) . We will obtain a fuchsia cream from which we will pour a little at the bottom of each glass; Later, we pour a little soy milk cream in a circular way in the glasses ( the white color will slide over the fuchsia cream ) . We repeat the operation several times until the glass is full. To decorate the result, Gavina suggests adding a few sprigs of chives or a few arugula leaves. Keep the glasses in the fridge until the moment of tasting.
Mushroom curry paella
"Shiitake is great for seduction, it is a mushroom with optimal properties at the stimulation level." That is why Gavina recommends us a paella cap with shiitake to whet our appetite at this dinner: "the feeling caused by meeting with the gelatinous texture of shiitake in the midst of other mushrooms; It's an exciting surprise."
(For ten people) We cook a kilo of rice in the traditional way until it is loose. On the other hand, we sauté half a kilo of laminated onions and three cloves of minced garlic until golden brown. That is when we add 250 grams of sliced mushrooms, 250 grams of oyster mushrooms in strips and 500 grams of **mixed forest mushrooms (milk caps, trumpets, rosiñol, shiitake, murgulas...) ** with a touch more salt and oil and wait for them to release their juice. When the mushrooms reabsorb this juice it will be the perfect moment to add a tablespoon of curry, a little grated fresh ginger and a pinch of smoked paprika from la vera . We stir everything so that the mushrooms are well impregnated, and then we add the rice, also mixing so that it is flavored with the spices and the juice of the mushrooms. To finish, we sauté everything again and add the dash of tamari and a little chopped fresh parsley.
From its color to its flavor, the Aphrodite cup is a host of seductive surprises
Cinnamon pumpkin cream
Will it be Siberian cold on February 14? Just in case you have to warm up, Gavina begins to warm the stomach with this cream , a warm soup made with cinnamon and pumpkin as main ingredients, without forgetting pepper and ginger (with well-known aphrodisiac properties).
(4-6 people) In an oil bath, we start by sautéing a sliced Figueras onion with a sliced leek and a little salt. When the onion is golden, we add a kilo of pumpkin and a potato, all cut into cubes, along with a sprig of celery and a tablespoon of cinnamon powder. We will fry the vegetables until they start to release their juice and it will be then when we cover everything with hot water and a little salt. Fifteen minutes later, add the sensual touch of powdered ginger and remove from the heat. . We add the soft touch with the soy or oat milk cream and beat to achieve a homogeneous result. Gavina adds her touch plating the cream with a spiral of tamari densified with honey or molasses , a little sesame and a touch of sprouts to give volume.
MAIN COURSE, the strong begins...
Gheisha Tofu
The name already gives us a clue, very oriental and traditional, of what we will find on the palate. With that understated Japanese romanticism - but no less exciting for that -, the tofu gheisha keeps a soft and exotic ingredient, the coconut milk cream, which contrasts with the pepper and the tender garlic.
(For two people) Sauté three segments of dried garlic and when they are golden brown, add 250 grams of sliced mushrooms along with a little herb salt. We cover everything to obtain a quick mushroom juice, just when we will mix a courgette cut into half moons, a little more oil and herb salt, leaving it to cook for about four more minutes. Add 300 grams of diced tofu and add fresh ginger, a pinch of cumin powder and 200 grams of coconut milk cream. We stir well to impregnate all the aromas of the spices and finish the dish with a splash of tamari and a few slices of piquillo peppers.
Vegetable sobrassada with an infernal touch
Gavina conquered the palates of several of those attending her classes in Palma de Mallorca with this dish, thanks to her infernal touch. And what is the secret ingredient from the underworld? The pepper -in two aspects-: smoked paprika and roasted peppers . The result is a striking red color that will end up decorating the plate with passion and, in our languages, with that suggestive tingling... just a preliminary to the night that awaits you.
(Serves 6-8 people) Clean and polish two peppers with oil to roast them in the oven. Once roasted, wrap them in a kitchen cloth to moisten them and be able to peel them easily. Without skin or seeds, we crush them together with the rest of the ingredients ( a garlic, a tablespoon of smoked paprika mocha, a pinch of salt, 100 grams of salted Marcona almonds, two tablespoons of breadcrumbs, one tablespoon of olive oil) until you get a pâté.
For a cold night in which to warm the stomach
**Seitan anais (with cream of spinach and romesco sauce) **
The trick of this dish is in its sinuous powerhouse: light but packed with protein , is the perfect energy pump for the most romantic night of the year. The protein secret? The main ingredient, seitan, which is neither more nor less than wheat gluten.
(4-6 people) Saute a bunch of young garlic cut into small pieces until they brown in the pan and add 700 grams of chopped and previously washed spinach, seasoning everything with a pinch of salt . We cover and wait for the juice to begin to flow and uncover so that the spinach reabsorbs that juice; That is when we add the laminated seitan (about 500 grams) and leave it to cook for about two minutes. We enhance its flavor by adding two tablespoons of romesco sauce. We continue stirring to mix everything well and add 250 grams of soy milk cream with a pinch of white pepper and a little grated nutmeg. To drink hot.
DESSERT, if you make it to the third course...
seductive cocktail
In addition to a good white wine with the starters and a few glasses of red with the main ones, you can't miss a essential spirit in any celebration: cava . Let's mix it with fruit and serve it very cold, to break the ice through a temperature contrast with the main course. This cocktail will mark the end of the perfect dinner and the beginning of a night that still has many hours left...
In a jug we mix a bottle of very cold cava and a quarter of a liter of natural orange juice made with freshly squeezed oranges. Then, we add the sensual touch with two ingredients of the 'aphrodisiac triad': a little grated fresh ginger and a pinch of cardamom powder. Serve very cold in glazed cava glasses.
The pepper comes from hell... from passion
Melon with sinful balls in bathroom of oriental dream
What will happen if the last course of this dinner mixes the aphrodisiac triad with the taste of sweet fruits such as grapes ? Only you can find the answer with this dessert.
(For 4 people) Cut a Cantaloupe melon in half and remove the seeds from the inside. We form melon balls and do the same process with a mango, a peach and a conference-type pear. We cut a golden apple into cubes, peel 12 grapes and remove the bone from 12 cherries. We mix all the fruits in a large bowl and submerge them in half a liter of white grape must with grated fresh ginger, cardamom, lemon juice and skin and cinnamon . Let it rest in this perfumed bath for about two hours, covering the surface with a film so that the air does not touch the fruit and thus delay its oxidation. Finally, we fill the melon shells and put marigold petals and pansies on the balls. We serve each half on a bed of crushed ice with small fresh flowers and... let's taste it!
Soft chocolate cake with walnuts
I couldn't miss. Chocolate is key on a night like Valentine's: ingredient or main, sweet but also bitter, solid or liquid, as food or as a game... but always addictive in all its facets.
First, separate the yolks and whites of four eggs and whiten the yolks with 175 grams of sugar (if possible in icing form) until they are very creamy . In another container, dissolve 150 grams of dark chocolate with 150 grams of organic margarine until it melts. We put the two results together and add 75 grams of chopped walnuts with 75 grams of rice flour in the form of a fine rain. Finally, we add the sparkling touch by incorporating the egg whites whipped to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt , mixing everything with smooth movements avoiding losing volume. Pour the chocolate paste into a pastry mold and place it in the oven (preheated to 180º) to remove it after 25 minutes.
You cannot miss a classic of the kitchen of excitement: chocolate