Is Valentine’s the celebration we’ve been waiting for?
Unlike Christmas, Canada Day, Thanksgiving, Easter or Mother’s Day, Valentine’s is for small groups: ideally, in the time of “dining in” it was tables of two. Valentine’s Day is not a public holiday, but this year is fortuitously located smack-dab in the middle of a long weekend anyway.
In most Latin American countries, like Puerto Rico or Costa Rica or Mexico, Valentine’s Day is known as Dia de los Enamorados, “the day of lovers.” More specifically, Christian calendars name it “The Feast of Saint Valentine.”
Sounds to me like the perfect date to observe and feast.
“You can’t blame gravity for falling in love,” Albert Einstein once said.
While we can’t gather in greater numbers, maybe this is the celebration we have been waiting for. So find the candles, press the linen, and break out the good cutlery.
What can you put on the table? You can shop for special ingredients, of course. Have a workable plan for the courses, and select a bottle of wine (or two?). You’ve been using your kitchens more and have expanded your repertoire these last 11 months. Go find a cookbook, investigate online and maybe even try something adventurous. You can do it!
Is it time to shop for a few scallops, or some jumbo shrimp? Maybe a simply dressed frisée salad would be a good starter. Adoro Oils in the Cedar Pointe Plaza has an extensive vinegar and oil selection. What of a roast butternut squash soup? Add a small amount of pureed apples and warm spices such as crushed cardamom, cinnamon and mild curry to the mix. Boost the colour with additional turmeric. A dollop of Blood Orange infused olive oil and a sprinkle of crushed toasted hazelnuts and, ta da! Gourmet!
Are you a fairweather BBQ person or willing to brave the outdoors? Crank up the heat and a flattened Portuguese chicken cooks (follow the instructions) in about an hour. It truly is a no-mess no-prep decision. Metro, Food Basics and others often have this, a plain, and a southwestern-spiced option. Follow the instructions even though they are very forgiving with time and are always incredibly tasty. Just watch for flare-ups. Crisp skin is golden; the juices and texture are divine. For some variety have a half an orange or lime standing by and squeeze a little juice — and flesh — over the bird at five-minute intervals.
A bed of rice is perfect to soak it all up. If you want to make your rice even lovelier, substitute wine for water or try a half-Riesling, half-chicken broth mixture to supercharge it. A good Basmati can be quickly toasted in a spoon’s worth of butter before adding any liquid. It really does make a difference.
Kaleidoscope carrots of brilliant yellow, orange, purples and whites can be pan fried in flavoured olive oil or using a tin pie plate and sprinkled with fresh cracked pepper, it too can go on the BBQ. Use the other half of any citrus along the way to brighten the colours and aromatics.
Dessert can be as simple as two or three scoops of Hagen Dazs (one each of coffee, Mayan Chocolate and Green Tea) with some raspberries for eye candy.
A balsamic syrup can be used to plate decorate or zig-zag drizzle. Nona Pia’s is ready available even at the Coniston Valumart. It has always been my policy to have a squeeze bottle of this heavenly material to write words or do a design around the edges. Poetry is nice. You can always choose more sexy text. I’ll leave the words for you to determine.
You can have this all prepped and on standby in the freezer. None of this is hard work, nor is it complex. However ...
A catered dinner is another option.
Chef Filippo Rocca has suggestions. Let’s visit him at Bella Vita Cucina.
The stay-at-home order remains in place as of today (Feb. 8, 2021), but like everyone else, Rocca hopes for a brighter future once things improve.
“We’ve been open for business — takeout the last while — we will get through this. I’ve been preparing an extraordinary dinner every year for special days, special dates. A three- or four-course menu will be available this year, plus our regular selection still is an option.”
Rocca kept his menu full, never eliminating because “it would be hard to remove anything as each dish is who we are and our customers expect their favourites to be there. It is all the best of who we are and our history.”
Normally, this 70-seat restaurant would be doing two or more turns and bringing on extra staff for Feb. 14. Instead, two drivers will be on standby for home delivery. If out of the city, or below a certain threshold value, there may be a fee.
“Yes, we will do some packages. Dinner for two, of course,” Rocca said, adding he is grateful for the restaurant’s loyal customers. “We’ve been here 13 years. It went by so fast. We are not a franchise. People crave and miss our food, so they call and come and pick up. Some order containers of pasta and our lovely sauces, so I get calls (from customers asking) ‘How do we cook this, how do we defrost this?’ — they want to have a Bella Vita Cucina experience at home. Our pasta is made in-house and so are our desserts.”
Can this be a complete package?
“Yes, we offer all different kinds of wine. It is something that has come out of the pandemic response.” Naturally, Italian wine!
“Fillet Mignon, lobster tails, we can do those. Things with nice sauces hold the heat. Put it on your heated seat for the drive home. We have had people come from as far away as Elliot Lake. We spend the time to make all our dishes perfect.”
Tiramisu and crème brûlée are signature choices for lingering over with a special cup of coffee.
Ask Alexa to cue up your favourite artist, your most memorable tracks. It is the celebration you’ve been waiting for.
Turn down the lights, turn up the music and get romantic.
Bella Vita Cucina
493 Kathleen St, Sudbury
Dial 705-670-VITA (8482). Please note: Phoning is the best way to order as Chef Rocca wants to share specials and wine options.
Lunch and dinner menus are available online.
Hugh Kruzel is a committed foodie and a freelance writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat is made possible by our Community Leaders Program. Are you an advertiser? Learn more about our Community Leaders Program here.
