Valentine’s Day Must

Sometimes the typical extravagant & fabulous Valentine’s Day we all dream of isn’t a realistic plan. Most of the time, Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday, work comes early the next morning and the pre-fix menu is never as exciting as you hope.

This Valentine’s Wednesday we’re going to be throwing our own little dinner party for two with a 70’s funk vibe. So splurge on a really, really good bottle of wine and make it an epic night in.

We’ll be cooking Elettra Wiedemann’s Pink Spaghetti With Beet & Ricotta Sauce. I’ve never been able to get behind spiralized vegetables but this recipe is the perfect combination of real, carb lovers pasta with the nutty rich flavor or one of my favorite vegetables.

Our playlist for the evening is up on the blog here.

As for a thoughtful yet exciting gift for your significant other, we thought Elle Magazine would have the solution, and of course, they do! For every type of man.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Recipe and Photo Published in the debut “Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook,”  San Francisco Chronicle 

Kosher salt

2 red beets, the size of tennis balls

2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup olive oil

2 cups part-skim ricotta

1 pound dried spaghetti

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

½ cup chopped fresh basil

¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts

Zest of 2 lemons

Fill a large pot with water and several large pinches of salt and bring to a boil.

Peel the beets, then shred them in a food processor, using a shredding blade, or on the large holes of a box grater. You’ll have about 4 cups shredded beets.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the grated beets and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes. Once the beets have softened, add ½ cup boiling water and cook for 3 minutes more.

Transfer the beets to a food processor, add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and puree into a smooth paste. Add the ricotta and 1½ teaspoons salt. Puree again until very smooth. Set aside.

Cook the spaghetti in the pot of boiling water according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the spaghetti.

In a large bowl, quickly combine the hot pasta with ¾ of the beet-ricotta sauce and mix together well. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time. Add more sauce and/or water if necessary. Any extra sauce will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. (Wiedemann also suggests using any extra as a dip for vegetables or as a sandwich spread.)

Twirl a serving of pasta onto a plate or into a bowl and sprinkle with some Parmigiano Reggiano, basil, walnuts and lemon zest. Repeat with the remaining pasta. Serve immediately.