Valentine's Dinner

I know alot of people like to go out to dinner on special holidays, but is it really worth it? There's always a long wait, the service is sub-par, and the menu... lets not even go there. After going out once or twice on a lovey-dovey holiday, whether it be Mother's day, Valentine's day or even father's day (which I think is overlooked), I have decided to stay home an make dinner for the one I love. This year, my hunnie and I are out of town, but that doesn't discourage me. I've got an entire meal planned out for us. I got this recipe from a Food Network magazine. The article is called "Surf & Turf for Two".... Without an oven, I made do with what I had. This is how it turned out..

And it was pretty tasty. Shrimp wrapped in pancetta, Green beans cooked with onions and pancetta, mashed potatoes, and of course, beef tenderloin, topped with an herbed oil.

This beef tenderloin was my favorite. I mean, c'mon, it looks delish!!! 

Dinner was a success. My man loved it. And best of all is that he didn't even notice that it was missing any thing. So, Here's the original recipe for those of you that wanna stay in this year and make it special.

Surf & Turf for Two

Ingredients

For the Herb Oil:

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Surf and Turf:

• 6 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails intact)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, plus 2 to 3 sprigs
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 slices pancetta (about 2 ounces)
• 1 10-ounce piece beef tenderloin, trimmed
• Sea salt
• 8 asparagus spears
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions

Make the herb oil: Pulse the parsley, chives and olive oil in a mini food processor until smooth. Thin with water, if necessary, and add 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and set aside. (This can be done up to 2 hours ahead.)

Prepare the surf and turf: Toss the shrimp, olive oil, lemon juice, chopped thyme, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Wrap each shrimp with a piece of pancetta.

Preheat the broiler. Arrange the shrimp on a foil-lined broiler pan. Season the beef with sea salt and pepper, press the thyme sprigs into the meat and set aside. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Put the asparagus in a microwave-safe dish with 1/4 cup water and a pinch of sea salt.

Heat a medium ovenproof skillet over high heat and add the butter. When the foam subsides, sear the beef until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Using tongs, hold the meat and brown the sides. Transfer the skillet to the broiler and cook until a thermometer inserted into the beef registers 125 degrees F for medium rare, about 4 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to rest while you cook the shrimp.

Broil the shrimp until the pancetta is crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Meanwhile, microwave the asparagus until tender, about 2 minutes.

Slice the beef into 4 pieces. Serve with the shrimp, herb oil and asparagus.