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a home + living guide for the post-college, pre-parenthood, quasi-adult generation

10.24.2002

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dinner for two, chez vous surviving the first dinner date at your place by Patricia Virella | 1 2 3 4 5
continued from page 3
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Naturally, of course, it would be a terrible thing indeed to serve up something your date simply won’t eat. Find out beforehand whether there are any food allergies you should be aware of, or if he/she just flat out doesn’t like a certain food ingredient. Don’t delude yourself into thinking that despite the fact that your guy/girl hates pork, you’ll be able to convince him/her otherwise by making your special roasted pork loin. Make the dinner fair, and cook up something that both of you are sure to enjoy. Run your ideas about dinner by your sweetie and get the ok before committing yourself to a menu. You’ll save yourself the pain of watching your date carefully pick out all the onions out because he hates onions.

how many courses?
I’m a fan of the basic 3-course dinner: appetizer/starter, main entrée, and, of course, dessert. The first course is a warm up: serve a light salad and some bread over wine. Talk and get comfy. By the time you bring out your main course, you’ll be getting over those nerves, and starting to relax. And hopefully by the last course you’ll be concentrating more on each other than the (undoubtedly awesome) food you’ve made.

don't stop: there's more this way!

Basil and Sun-dried Tomato Orzo
1 lb. orzo
5 fresh sprigs of basil, finely chopped
½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil (extra virgin is Best)

Boil orzo until al dente (there’s some bite to it). Drain. In a separate bowl, mix oil, basil + sun-dried tomatoes. Pour mixture into orzo and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Do not drain pasta and rinse under cold water (cold shock the pasta). The pasta in its warm state will continue to cook so that by the time you serve it will have a nice texture.

 

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