While I wish that I could tell you my Valentine’s Day will be marked by me cooking a gourmet, candle-lit meal for my sweetheart, its more likely that after a 12+ hour day at work, I won’t have the time or energy for such an undertaking.
But does that mean my night doesn’t have a romantic meal in its future? Not on your life. What it means is that I’ll have to be creative and think outside the box, or in this case, the book.
This year, my Valentine’s Day recipe isn’t coming from a cookbook, but rather a romance novel. Which makes sense…if you think about it.
Recently, I read True Believer, a book by my favourite (guilty-pleasure) romance writer, Nicholas Sparks. You may recognize some of his other work: The Notebook, The Last Song, and Safe Haven (the movie version is coming out on V-day, btw). Anyways, at one part in True Believer, Lexie makes her famous tomato sauce for Jeremy. It was a hot scene. Suffice to say, they never quite made it to dinner.
When I finished the book (and finished crying as I do in all Nicholas Sparks books), I couldn’t stop thinking about that tomato sauce. I searched it up online and found I wasn’t the only curious foodie/romantic. Not only had others made the sauce, they declared it as delicious as Sparks made it sound.
I tried it myself and can confirm that it really is that good. And easy. In fact, I’d go so far as claiming its the perfect romantic meal for busy moms and dads : you just toss everything in a pot & let simmer. By the time the last book is read, and the last tooth brushed, and the last, last, don’t ask-me-for-one-more-glass-of-water is drunk, your meal will be ready.
And just in case you’re not convinced that spaghetti & tomato sauce is the perfect dish for Valentine’s Day, I’ll remind you of another famous couple who got frisky while eating spaghetti: Lady and the Tramp.
True Believer Tomato Sauce
The original version of this sauce is double the amount and uses whole San Marzano tomatoes. Personally, I like my sauce smooth & not chunky. But since its only for two, I halved it.
Ingredients
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 sweet onion, peeled & cut in half
½ a stick ( 1/4 cup) butter
s & p to taste.
Directions
1. Pour the tomatoes into a large sauce pan & turn the heat onto medium.
2. Add in the butter & onions.
3. When the butter melts & it starts to boil, stir, cover, and turn down the heat to low.
4. Let simmer for an hour or more, stirring once in a while so it doesn’t stick.
5. Remove the onions, taste, & adjust the seasonings.
6. Serve with spaghetti. In one bowl. Or two.