Three simple dishes that will impress your significant other!
If I may generalize for a moment: men love women who can satisfy their deep, burning hunger. No, not that kind of hunger – I’m speaking in the literal sense, a hunger for steak, omelets, sandwiches, pasta, vegetables, and all other manner of yummy eats, vittles, and snackery. But where to start? Not every recipe is easy enough to relieve the pressure of date night, or tasty enough to be worth the effort.
The following dishes don’t require much time, many steps, or any hard-to-find ingredients, so let’s roll up our sleeves and get started:
Frittata
My favorite version of this bad boy involves frying up some thinly sliced potato and onion in oil, mixing in eggs, and topping with an unholy amount of shredded mozzarella just before it goes into the oven to broil into a crispy, cheesy mess of deliciousness. When it’s ready, slice like a pizza and serve with a dipping sauce that consists of three parts mayonnaise, one part hot sauce, and a dash of lemon juice.
A frittata is a take on the Tortilla Espanola; a delicious, comfort-food tapas dish popular in Spain. The dipping sauce I’ve outlined above is a take on one typically used to top their version of French fries, called patatas bravas.
Pro tips:
- Eggs will continue to cook in the skillet after they’ve been removed from the oven, so it’s always better to slightly undercook than overcook. A few minutes can make a huge difference in flavor and texture.
- You can make this dish richer by omitting an egg white or two and adding a similar amount of heavy cream and/or an extra egg yolk.
Pasta Bolognese (Meat Sauce)
Possibly the most iconic pasta dish in the world, Bolognese is as rich, rustic and satisfying as it gets – and it’s easy to make! Brown your ground meat, then drain the fat and place aside. Fry up some onions. Meanwhile, cook your pasta in lightly salted water until it’s al dente. Add pureed tomatoes and Italian seasonings to the onions, then throw in the cooked meat and pasta. Plate it once it’s all piping hot.
Pro tips:
- Reserve a few tablespoons of pasta water to stir into the dish; the starch will help tighten the sauce.
- Use umami-rich ingredients like red wine, tomato paste, parmesan cheese and anchovy paste (optional!) to make this dish extra satisfying.
- Corkscrew pasta like fusilli and rotini will hold the sauce best.
- You can slightly undercook the beef, as it will continue to cook when added to the hot sauce.
Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas
Finally, for a deceptively simple dish that’s familiar enough to suit most palates, bake a whole or half chicken. Then place a flour tortilla in a pan on medium heat, and add shredded cheese and the chunks of the cooked chicken. Top with another flour tortilla and flip once the cheese begins to melt. Slice (yep, again!) like a pizza, and serve with your choice of cilantro, sour cream, salsa, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo and/or guacamole.
Pro tips:
- You can buy and shred a rotisserie chicken if you’d rather not cook it yourself.
- Non-aged cheeses like mild cheddar and Monterey jack work best for this application, as melting aged cheeses will separate the fat and solids, leaving an oily mess.
Bottom Line
And there you have it: three fast, easy recipes that span the globe, and can be made in an hour or less. Not only will they impress your date, but they’ll impress you, too. So what are you waiting for? Get cookin’!
