#Valentine's day in Malta
- Feb 12, 2019
- 4 min read
Valentine's day -> Everyone is wrecking their brains thinking how to plan their perfect day/ night for their significant other. Therefore, it seemed perfect to start this blog by giving you a couple of ideas on
Planning date ideas during the day
Planning date ideas for the evening
Most people think that valentine's day is overrated, why spend money on celebrating this day when it should be celebrated 356 days a year, right? Well, it doesn't have to be something big and expensive, but if you're free during the day/night, you could use one of the below tips to spend the day with your partner.
Simple, cheap and easy:
You don't have to spend $$$ of Euros. According to 7 day forecast on www.maltairport.com website, 14th February shall be a sunny day, therefore, why not make a picnic date?
Lets pick a location. In Malta, there are many places one can go, be it by the beach, or country side. Below are some very nice spots for a picnic date:
Riviera Bay
Buskett Gardens
Ta' Qali
Ġnejna Bay
Armier Bay
Top of the world Gharghur
Selmun
Chadwick Lakes
Location has been settled, now food wise? You have too many options, but my personal favourites are the below:
A small basket with salad ( your favourite veggies all together), popcorn or Hummus crisps, fruit salad, chocolate bars (are a must, Kinder or Cadbury), dips (tzatziki is my favourite), sparkling wine (Moscato D'Asti).
You can get everything ready by buying either from a Turkish Shop, from Avotaco, grabbing Pizza or Sushi, or something delicious from Kuya food truck. Options are endless !!
Must Haves at a picnic
- Portable Charger
- Speakers
- 250 Questions You'll Be Ashamed to Answer (a very cool book)
- Different Apps on your phone such as Truth or Dare, Questions for couples etc
- Blankets - Utensils
2. Spa Date
Relax and enjoy the day at the spa. Hot Stones, Massages, Masks, Jacuzzi, Steam room; in Malta there are a couple of very nice Spa places where one could go, but below are our favourite:
Alternative: If you're on a budget, make a Spa day at home ! Masks, bubble bath, massages for each other, hair masks- get creative !
3. Cooking Class
Why not try going to a couples cooking class? The Mediterranean Culinary Academy is offering couples a chance to learn how to cook together on Valentine's day.
4. Cinema Bar by City Lights
Why not watch a movie in Malta's Post War Adult Theatre? Throughout the entire day, they will be streaming different movies: Casablanca, Ghost, Top Gun, The Notebook.
5. Fancy meal
Obviously, the most common idea is to go and have a nice meal. In Malta, most of the restaurants offer a set menu for Valentine's day, however, the below provide a la carte menu as well:
The Orchard
Salt and Pepper Aglioglio-Radisson Brass and Knuckle Deck and Morsel Fernando Gastrotheque Fornelli The Hilltop Le Bistro
Tiffany
Zizka
6. Romantic Evening at home
If you want to stay at home, you can treat your partner to a lovely homemade 3 course meal. Here is a simple recipe:
Entree: Heart Shaped Bruschetta
Ingredients
3 or 4 ripe tomatoes,
2 cloves garlic; minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3-5 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced or chopped
3/4 teaspoon sea salt, more or less to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more or less to taste
French Baguette or Maltese bread (to give it that heart shape)
Method
1. Chop the tomatoes and try to remove most of the juices and seeds
2. Preheat the oven to 230°C
3. Cut the bread into a heart shape (can be easily done by using a heart-shaped mould cutter bought from ebay
4. Toss the tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper
5. Toast the heart-shaped bread slices. Brush one side of each slice with olive oil (a pastry brush helps here) and place olive oil-side down on a baking sheet or roasting pan
6. When the oven has reached 450°F (230°C) place the slices in the oven on the top rack and toast for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly browned around the edges
7. Serve toasted bread with tomato mixture. Arrange the toasted bread on a platter, olive oil side facing up
8. For those who like things cheesy.. grate some mozzarella and toast the bread, topped with the mixture and mozzarella on top for a couple of minutes
Main Course : One pot Pasta Alfredo (why waste time cleaning dishes when you could be getting it on for valentine's ;-) )
Ingredients
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp butter
1 large garlic clove minced
225 grams fettuccine
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan plus more for garnish
Salt & pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish
Method
1. Use a pan large enough to fit the pasta
2. Place pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add milk, chicken broth, butter, and garlic. Bring to simmer then add pasta
3. Stir pasta every 30 seconds or so until it is softened (around 3 minutes) so it doesn't stick. Once the pasta is softened, reduce heat to medium and stir every couple of minutes
After another 6 minutes or so, the pasta should be almost cooked but there should still be liquid covering the base of the pan. Add cream and parmesan and mix
4. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~2 minutes, until sauce is thickened and pasta is cooked. If you cook it too long and the sauce goes gluggy, add a splash of hot tap water, it will go back to silky with a few tosses
5. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated parmesan and parsley!
6. For that extra kick you can add either chicken breast, shrimps, spicy sausage or mushrooms
Dessert: Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Want to try something different? How about an easy chocolate mouse with a side of strawberries. Here is an easy recipe from Gordon Ramsay:
Ingredients
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and stoned
3–4 tbsp runny honey,
to taste1 tsp vanilla extract
50g raw cacao powder
Method
Put the avocados into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Add 3 tablespoons of the honey with the vanilla and cacao powder and blend again until completely combined.
Taste and add more honey if necessary.
Spoon the mousse into 8 shot or sweet wine glasses and put them into the fridge for an hour before serving.
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