Libido-boosting recipes for your Valentine
If you plan to spend some quality time at home on Valentine’s Day with your loved one, spice up the night with these easy to prepare and sensuous recipes.
For the month of love, executive chef Shaun Munro of The Grill Jichana at the Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani hotel complex in Durban shared these aphrodisiac recipes; a sure way to keep the passion going all night long…
Chef Munro, who specialises in seafood, says they can be prepared the night before or early in the day. It takes around 15 minutes to prepare each dish.
To complement your meal, splash out on a decent bottle of champagne or a good wine.
The dishes could be made up into one platter, or served individually.
A meal is never complete without a dessert - and the best aphrodisiac is none other than chocolate.
Simply dip some strawberries in chocolate and end the evening by feeding each other dessert.
What are you waiting for? Get your heart racing with the first dish, a duo of lemon scented Casanova crumbed oysters
Oysters are rich in zinc and help boost the libido and the famous lover, Casanova, one of the world's most famous womanisers, loved eating oysters for breakfast every day! A definite hit with lovers!
Ingredients
2 oysters, keep shells for plating (you can use more depending on your requirements)
100g bread crumbs mixed with the zest of one lemon, salt and pepper
100ml mayonnaise thinned down with 1tsp olive oil
¼ cucumber cut into thin julienne; marinated in juice of one lemon
Method
1. Roll the shelled oysters in flour, then egg and then bread crumbs, refrigerate for an hour.
2. Carefully heat the oil in a small saucepan and shallow fry the oysters for 45 seconds until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper towel.
3. Preheat oyster shells in oven at 180° C degrees for 5 minutes.
4. Assemble dish by placing marinated cucumber julienne in oyster shells, place oysters onto the cucumber, garnish to your liking and serve with the mayonnaise dressing.
Voluptuously stuffed grilled calamari with a lemon infused savoury filling
(This meal can be prepared the night before Valentine's Day.)
Ingredients
+/- 150g small calamari, cleaned
80g prawn meat, minced
¼ onion grated
Zest of 1 lemon
½ seeded red chilli, finely chopped
½ tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
juice of a lemon
Method
1. Prepare the stuffing by lightly sautéing the prawn meat, onion, zest, chilli, garlic and parsley, season and set aside to cool.
2. Now fill the cavity with the stuffing, secure with a toothpick and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Heat pan with olive oil and butter and sauté the tubes, splash with the lemon juice and season (+/- 3 minutes or until cooked through).
4. Assemble dish using your creativity with citrus segments.
Cupid’s coconut crusted pampered prawns
Ingredients
6 whole prawns, butter-flied in the shell, press open flat, vein removed
50g desiccated coconut
½ tsp crushed dried red chilli
50 grams butter, melted
Method
1. To prepare the crust mix together the coconut, bread crumbs, lemon, paprika, chilli and season.
2. Dip the flesh side of the prawn into the melted butter and then firmly into the crust, refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Pre-heat the grill 200° C (top element of your oven), place the prawns crust facing up on a roast tray and then place under the grill to cook.
4. Serve with your choice of sauces – lemon butter, garlic butter and peri-peri.
- Waheeda Peters