In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, I want to give you two extra recipes suitable as an aperitif for the day that should be the most romantic of the year…
These are the Valentine’s Day Pinsa, a heart-shaped version of the Roman pinsa, accompanied by the red Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri.
You will find other suggestions for your brunch, lunch, and dinner on February 14th in the section dedicated to the Valentine’s Day Menu.
I went looking for Valentine’s Day around the world, but there are very few countries that celebrate the day of lovers like we do… Among these:
Japan
It is a very important date, especially for those who are just waiting to confess their feelings. Women give chocolate to men, and the men return the favor with something three times more valuable, but only a month later, on ‘White Day’, March 14th. The chocolate can have different meanings, and there are two types: 義理チョコ (girichoko), given not out of love, but ‘duty’ to one’s boss or work colleagues; the 本命チョコ (honmeichoko) is instead given to express one’s feelings.
South Korea
Koreans also follow the same practice as the Japanese, and additionally, on April 14th, they have Black Day: a day when those who are single meet for a meal where they eat jajangmyeon noodles (noodles with very dark bean sauce) and talk to each other about their bad luck in love.
In Spain.
Love is celebrated passionately, and Spaniards are those who resemble us the most in celebrating with a candlelit dinner.
In England
There are the famous heart-shaped love notes called “Valentines”. Tradition has it that the sender remains anonymous.
In the Philippines
February 14 is the preferred day for weddings and for renewing marriage vows. Since it is a mass phenomenon, it is often done in large shopping centers.
VALENTINE’S DAY PINSA
Another experiment born from putting into practice what I learned in the Pinsa course at Pinsa Morena Academy.
The procedure for the Roman pinsa can be found HERE.
Remember, it requires at least a first fermentation of 24 hours.
Followed by the romantic topping and the recipe for the Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri..
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 1 person
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Valentine's Day, All seasons
Ingredients for the Valentine’s Day Pinsa:
- 1 Roman pinsa
- 7 cherry tomatoes
- 165 g stracchino cheese
- to taste chili oil
- 150 g strawberries
- 30 ml lime (juice)
- 40 ml sugar syrup
- to taste ice
- 60 ml white rum
- 150 g strawberries
- 30 ml lime (juice)
- 40 ml sugar syrup
- to taste ice
Tools
- 1 Blender blender
Preparation
VALENTINE’S DAY PINSA
Spread the stracchino cheese evenly over the pinsa.
Bake in a fan oven at 400-430°F for about 7 minutes.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and arrange them in a heart shape on the pinsa.
Using a small brush, follow the heart shape with the chili oil.
FROZEN STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI
If you can’t find sugar syrup, you can make it by mixing 5 tablespoons of cold water and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a saucepan. Stir and dissolve the mixture over very low heat. Let it cool completely.
In a blender, add the ice and all the other ingredients.
Start with the lowest speed, then switch to the highest, and finally back to the lowest.
Garnish with a reserved strawberry and serve immediately.
Similar festivities to Valentine’s Day:
In China
There is the Double Seventh Festival (or Qixi Festival) because it falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month and can be defined as the Chinese Valentine’s Day or the festival of lovers, but it is in August.
In Brazil
Valentine’s Day falls right during Carnival, so the celebration is postponed to June 12th, in honor of St. Anthony, the protector of marriages, and it’s called “Dia dos Enamorados“.
In South Africa
The celebration begins many weeks before February 14th and is inspired by the Roman festival called Lupercalia, related to fertility and it is customary to pin a note with the name of the boy one loves on one’s sleeve. Here too, flowers and little gifts are exchanged.
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If you don’t have the time to prepare the Roman Pinsa yourself, which takes a lot of time, you can buy the pre-made base: ROMAN PINSA BASE 8 PIECES
