Fun & Easy Finger Foods For At Home Date Night - Valentine’s Day Edition

Spiced Mixed Olives

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely shaved
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 cup quality mixed olives
• Pinch of minced fresh rosemary
• Several strips of orange zest (with a potato peeler)

Directions

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, then the garlic and let toast for 30 seconds.
2. Add the red pepper flakes, olives, rosemary and orange zest.
3. Stir until fragrant, a minute or so, then pour into a snappy little serving bowl.

Tempura Onion Rings

Ingredients

• 1 cup ice-cold soda water
• 1 cup plus ¼ cup (divided) flour
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 2 sweet Vidalia or white Spanish onions, sliced in even ½-inch rings
• ½ tsp sea salt

Ingredients for Dipping Sauce

• ¼ cup soy
• ¼ cup Mirin
• 1 tsp wasabi paste

Directions

1. To make the tempura batter, in a large bowl whisk together soda water and 1 cup of the flour until almost smooth; a few lumps are actually desirable in tempura.
2. Pour about 3 inches of vegetable oil into a wok or large, deep, frying pan. Heat it to about 375F.
3. Dredge onion rings in remaining ¼ cup of flour, patting off the excess. Dip each ring in tempura batter, shake off excess and gently drop into the hot oil, a few at a time. Fry for a couple of minutes, flipping halfway through, until the coating is slightly browned and crunchy and the onion is soft. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
4. Stir together dipping sauce and serve with piping hot tempura onion rings.

Beef Ribs

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 lbs thick-cut beef short ribs
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup water
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Brown ribs in hot oil.
3. Transfer ribs to a large baking dish. Combine sugar, soy, water, W-sauce, mustard, garlic, and toss together with ribs.
4. Cover and braise for 2 hours.
5. Remove cover and cook for another 30 minutes or until nicely browned and tender.
6. Serve with extra napkins.

Double-Dipped Strawberries

Ingredients

• 1 pint unhulled strawberries at room temperature
• 5 oz good quality semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
• 3 oz white chocolate, chopped (or white chocolate chips)
• 1 package Pop Rocks (preferably strawberry flavoured), spread out on a small plate

Directions

1. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Pat strawberries dry if need be (if they’re wet when you dip them, the chocolate will slide off).
2. Melt chocolate slowly, either in the microwave at short blasts or over low heat on the stove. Stir until smooth.
3. Grab a berry by the stem and dip in the chocolate, ¾ of the way up the berry. Repeat with all berries.
4. Place dipped strawberries on the prepared cookie sheet and put in fridge to cool.
5. When chocolate has set (around 20 minutes), slowly melt white chocolate, take berries from the fridge and dip in melted white chocolate so that the while chocolate covers about half of the semi-sweet chocolate.
6. Quickly dip white chocolate in Pop Rocks, or sprinkle the candy overtop.
7. Back in the fridge they go until you’re ready to eat them. A bite for you, a bite for your partner, then wait for the fireworks.