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The first legend, a
priest dared to defy the order of Roman Emperor Claudius II. The emperor declared that
Roman soldiers should not marry because he believed that single men made better
and stronger soldiers. St. Valentine, a priest felt this decree was unjust. He defied the emperor by performing marriage
ceremonies in secret for Roman soldiers. This act of defiance angered the
emperor, and he beheaded Valentine on February 14th.Valentine's faithfulness
inspired many Roman men to marriage and in honor of him, they drew names of
eligible ladies out of an urn during this holiday. Then the couple would pair
off and spent the year getting to know one another, which often led to marriage.
This custom spread across Europe.
The other legend,
Valentino became a martyr because he wanted to protect others. During the
third century, Christians were being imprisoned, tortured, and beaten and sent to
Roman prisons. Valentino could not bear to see this happen, so he plotted and succeeded
in freeing many of these prisoners. This led to his imprisonment, where they
decided to put him to death. Before his murder took place, he
met and befriended the jailer's daughter.
Legend says Valentino healed her
from blindness and was capable of performing many other
miracles. He fell madly in love with this woman, and before he died, he wrote
her a letter and signed it, "from your
Valentine," which took place in mid-February in A.D. 270 and is
believed to be why we endorse our cards this way today.
Around the Middle Ages
is when things began to evolve, it is believed that courtly love gained influence
throughout Europe. Some celebrants found a more chivalrous and cheerful way of explaining why Saint
Valentine’s day should be a time to think about
romance. Romantic phrases and
poems were written.
During the industrial revolution
in the mid-19th century, the production of mass quantities of consumer goods began to appear with greeting
cards with romantic phrases and images appearing on greeting cards. Cadbury’s
heart-shaped boxes of chocolates emerged in the
1860s, Hershey’s Kisses in 1907,
and Hallmark Valentine’s Day cards in 1913. All of which have still continued
the Valentine’s Day traditions.
Valentine's Day 2021
offers the opportunity to celebrate this occasion with our loved one in a
thousand different ways, but all linked to wanting to express feelings of love
that binds us to a special person. It is no coincidence
that many choose to declare themselves on Valentine’s Day to amaze the person
they love. There are also those who choose to make a marriage proposal and
there is certainly no better day than Valentine's Day to ask your sweetheart to marry you.
For a Valentine's
Dinner at home, you can order something special from a takeaway restaurant, or choose
to prepare a dinner together on that evening. You do not need to organize a complicated
dinners to be romantic. I would like to treat you to a romantic dish that I
hope you will prepare without too much fuss. This will leave more time for conversations and je ne
c’est pas quois apres!
Risotto is a
traditional Italian rice dish made from a short-grained starchy variety of rice called Arborio rice. A
well-cooked risotto should be soft and creamy. It shouldn't run across the
plate, nor should it be stiff or gluey. While not too difficult, I am adding
essential detailed instructions that will make it easier to prepare this
restaurant-worthy risotto in your kitchen. The first step is to gather all ingredients
and read all the instructions before beginning.
 | | Risotto al Proseco Pere e Pecorino |
Risotto al Prosecco Pere e Pecorino 5 cups chicken stock,
warm 1 tablespoon
extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted
butter (divided)
1 medium shallot,
minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3/4 cup Prosecco (or
dry white wine)
Salt and freshly
cracked black pepper
2 pears with skin on (1
diced, 1 sliced for decoration)
1/2 cup freshly grated
Pecorino cheese
1 tablespoon roughly
chopped Italian parsley You will need: 1 wide thick-bottom pan, 1 wooden spoon, a medium broth pan, a ladle
Warm the broth: In a medium saucepan,
heat the stock to a boil and immediately set the heat on low to simmer, so the
stock stays warm while you cook the risotto.
Cook the shallot: Heat 1 tablespoon olive
oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a wide thick bottom pan over low heat. Add the
minced shallot; cook for 5 minutes or until softened and barely golden. Season.
Add the rice: Turn the heat up
slightly; add the rice to the pan stirring it briskly with a wooden spoon to
coat the grains with the oil and melted butter. Sauté stirring for 2-3 minutes
until there is a slightly nutty aroma. The rice should be translucent. Do not
let the rice turn gold or brown.
Add the wine: Add the Prosecco or
wine and cook while stirring until the liquid is fully absorbed. When it is
fully absorbed/reduced you can begin adding the broth.
Add the broth: Add a ladle of hot
stock to the rice and stir until the liquid is fully absorbed (almost
disappears). When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock, and
repeat the process. Stir only when you add the stock, not constantly. Continue
adding stock, a ladle at a time, for 15 minutes.
Add the pears: Add the diced pears;
cook another 5-10 minutes or until the rice is tender but still firm to the
bite, without being crunchy.
Finish the risotto: Off the heat, stir in
the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the grated cheese, and parsley. Taste
for seasoning and adjust as needed. Divide into serving dishes, decorated with
a slice or two of pear and freshly cracked pepper.
Chef Tip: Should you run out
of stock and the risotto is still crunchy, finish cooking it with hot water.
Add the water a ladle at a time, stirring while it's absorbed.
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