Great Barrington — We celebrate Valentine’s Day in Greece just as we do here in the United States. We give flowers. We take our sweethearts out for a nice dinner, and we have strawberries with white chocolate for dessert.
Even though I run a restaurant and I want lots of customers on Valentine’s Day, I must confess I believe that the most romantic thing you can do to celebrate the day is to prepare for your loved one a really nice dinner. My feeling is that it’s easy to give flowers. Flowers are not a big deal. What really shows love and effort is to make a dinner that says “I love you.” But you have to do the whole thing right – set a nice table, pull out the chair for your partner, and present the food in an attractive way. I am a European, so I like to maintain a certain level of European style and graciousness. I know some people want to be more relaxed, but the graciousness helps to make the evening feel more special.
The recipe I am offering is easy to make and not expensive. It’s very healthy. I am a big supporter of simple, healthy food made with good ingredients. And it’s simple because I want to encourage even inexperienced cooks to make a good Valentine’s Day dinner
I’m recommending halibut because somehow a white fish seems most appropriate to me for Valentine’s Day. A white fish like halibut is healthier. It’s light and not oily. Some other day you could make this same recipe with salmon or swordfish. The lemon juice and rosemary provide fragrance. The little bit of mustard serves to cut the lemon taste. You’ll see that I’m using everyday ingredients that are easy to find and that you might already have in your pantry: garlic, tomatoes, lemon juice, rosemary and mustard. No rosemary? Use some parsley. No mustard? Use a little jelly to give a distinctive taste. Use whatever you have.
Special doesn’t have to mean difficult. If you use good ingredients, you can put together whatever you happen to have and it will taste good. And if you find ways to make the whole process easy and creative, then every day can be Valentine’s Day!
Here’s the recipe. It serves four people. Cut the quantities in half to make it for two.
Halibut with rosemary
(Serves 4)
Serve with mashed potato and salad
4 (6-ounce) halibut steaks
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons rosemary. Fresh or chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon mustard
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Place halibut steaks in one layer on a lightly oiled baking dish. Cover
with the sautéed rosemary mixture
- Cover baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
