V-Day Dinner

I love to use our Japanese dinnerware on occasions like this.  Valentine’s Day was great, and since my husband and I have been together for quite a while we just decided to cook a great dinner together and spend some quality time.  Here’s what resulted:
Baked salmon in a basil and lemon marinade, israeli style cous cous, and roasted asparagus.  It was perfect!

I marinated the salmon in the following:
~3 T olive oil
1 t dried basil
1 t dill
1/2 t salt
1/4-1/2 t pepper
pinch of dried parsley
lemon juice (about 2 wedges)
I marinated two fillets for about 45 minutes and then wrapped them in foil and baked it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes.  Turned out great!

The couscous was actually the star of this meal and even though it looks a little boring on the plate, it was packed with flavor.  Here’s how I did it:
You need 3-4 T butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cups Israeli style cous cous
2 bay leaves
1 t Balti seasoning (wow, so good!)
pinch or two of cinnamon (maybe about 1/4 t, it depends how you like it)
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken, or whatever you prefer)
Add the butter to a pot on the stove set at about medium heat.  Let that melt, then add the garlic, and the onion (peppers are good too if you have them).  Let the onion cook a couple of minutes and then add the couscous and stir.  Allow the couscous to toast, stirring occasionally for a few minutes.  Add spices.  Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Once boiling reduce heat and let it simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
This was so good, and the Balti seasoning was genius.  Once I added it, the two of us could not stop smelling the dish and we couldn’t wait to eat it!
For dessert:
Vanilla pound cake with homemade strawberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.
To make the strawberry sauce you need:
1 pint fresh strawberries rinsed and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
Put 2/3 of the strawberries, the sugar and the vanilla into a pot on medium heat.  Stir with a whisk crushing the strawberries as they soften to form a saucy texture.  Then add the rest of the strawberries and serve!  MMM….I will definitely be making this for waffles and pancakes.
I want to know what you did for Valentine’s Day!! Did you go out to dinner? Where? or What did you make at home?  Let me know