Legend has it that the original St. Valentine was a priest in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius was a vile and brutal ruler bent on amassing an enormous army. To achieve this, he banned all marriages in case husbands refused to leave their new wives and go to war.

Enter he whom I consider was the rather romantic St. Valentine, a priest who cherished love over war and clandestinely married enamoured couples. For his kindness and compassion, the quixotic priest was bludgeoned to death and beheaded on the 14th February 269 AD on the order of Claudius.

I've always had a soft spot for martyrs who willingly give their lives for love and passion. I also possess a rather obsessive urge to get even with the bad guys. For this reason, I have developed a Valentines Day kebab - a sharpened skewer of rosemary threaded with deliciously tasty and romantic bits and pieces. Once you and your loved one have dined, throw the skewer onto the barbecue thus piercing the heart of the malevolent Claudius and raise a toast to everlasting love!

 

VALENTINE'S DAY MENU:

• Vichyssoise with...
• Heart croutons
• Rosemary Skewered Kebabs (see full version below)
• Beet, watercress and feta salad
• Margaret's airy Pavlova
• chocolate desserts

VALENTINE DAY KEBABS

(Serves 2)

• 2 plump, skinned chicken breasts cubed
• 1 pork fillet, cubed (about 3/4 pound)
• 2 stalks of fresh rosemary - 1 foot long each
• 3/4 cup yoghurt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons mint, chopped
• 4 tablespoons good olive oil
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cubed

1. Strip about six inches off the bottom of your rosemary sprigs and keep the stripped herbs to one side.

2. Sharpen the bottom of the stripped rosemary stalk so that it resembles a sharp Zulu assegai or spear. This makes threading the ingredients onto the stalk easier as well serving as the weapon to murder Claudius once you've eaten! Place in a jug of water covering about an inch of the stalk to keep the rosemary fresh.

3. In a bowl, mix the yoghurt, mint, half the olive oil, half the lemon juice, the rosemary leaves and a good teaspoon of salt. Taste for seasoning and make sure that you get a good taste of lemon and mint coming through. Add your chicken cubes, coat well with the marinade and refrigerate for 3 hours.

4. In another bowl, mix the honey with the rest of the lemon juice and olive oil and a little salt. Add the pork pieces, coat well with the marinade and refrigerate for 3 hours.

5. Cut the peppers in halves and de-seed. Then, either using a heart shaped cutter or a knife if you're artistic and have a steady hand, cut heart shapes out of each of them. Sprinkle with a little water and refrigerate.

6. Thread the ingredients onto the skewers, starting with the pork, then a piece of pineapple, chicken, a red pepper heart, another piece of pork, another piece of pineapple, a yellow heart and so on until the stripped part of the skewer is full up.

7. Wrap a little tin foil around the rosemary nearest to the first cube of meat to prevent it burning, and sprinkle the rest of the rosemary leaves with water.

8. Cook over medium to hot coals until the chicken and pork are cooked through and the meat, vegetables and fruit are nicely browned. Remove the protective foil.

9. Serve with a freshly boiled beetroot, watercress and feta salad accompanied by a citrus vinaigrette (your normal old 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 5 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, a clove of crushed garlic but with the juice of half an orange added and cubed potatoes sautéed with garlic and onion.

10. Savour your feast, pour a glass of excellent wine and make that toast as you toss your symbolic spears into the heart of the barbecue, known as Claudius. And then go do what lovers do on Valentines day!

 

Do you have a passionate food love, a funny memory, or a recent discovery?
Do you want to celebrate your traditions?
Send us your own story: my story@inmamaskitchen.com