Valentine's Starter: Pappardelle in Saffron Cream

Appologies for the delay in posting this recipe (and the others from Valentine's Day for that matter), I still need to figure out a better way of making recipes before the day in question so that you can all have the recipes in advance... rather than afterwards! I think what I'll do is start tagging recipes that might be good for certain holidays or occasions (such as Easter). Anyway, we had a lovely evening of tasty food and it was all much more relaxed than going out to a restaurant. I was a bit nervous about making a three course meal since I thought it would mean I would be stressed and racing around the kitchen as pots boiled over and steaks burnt to a crisp. Fortunately, these recipes were all really simple. I made the sauces before Sam arrived so that all we needed to do was boil the pasta for the first course and then cook the steaks for the second. Perfect! I also made the side dishes in advance but I'll get to those in a different post. 

Ingredients including that questionable vanilla... 

Onion sauteing 

This recipe was inspired by one on the Food Network website. Their recipe called for vanilla extract to be added to the cream sauce but, having used it, I found it gave the dish a strange dessert like quality that wasn't entirely appropriate. So I've adjusted the recipe below to avoid that happening to others! I've also added parmesan cheese into the sauce rather than just on top because... well, why not? All in all, this was super easy and was a great way to make something that seems just that little bit more special for a day like Valentine's day. Hope you all had a lovely day and enjoyed something delicious either at a restaurant or at home!

Boiling the pasta

Finished product! 

Prep Time: 3 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
Pinch of saffron threads
250ml or 2/3 cup of cream
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp lemon juice
zest of half a lemon
50g parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
2 tbsp chives, chopped
Pappardelle pasta

Method: 

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. While waiting for the water to be ready, add the butter and onion to a sauce pan over medium heat. When the onion starts to soften, add the saffron threads. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened. Slowly add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium high heat until the cream has thickened and then stir in the lemon juice and parmesan cheese. Lower the heat and keep warm while boiling the pappardelle according to the instructions on the pack. When ready, drain the pasta and add to the sauce pan. Toss to coat and add the chives and lemon zest. Plate with a few more chives and the remaining parmesan cheese.