FeelGood Cook-Along: Date night dinner for 2 for under £20
We know that food is one of those topics that makes the nation feel good. And cooking it on a FeelGood budget? That’s even better! So we’ve teamed up with professional chef Dan Borham to show you how to recreate your favourite restaurant eats at home. Grab your pots and pans and get ready to cook
Holidays in Spain, romantic date nights or nibbles with friends at the many great Spanish restaurants up and down the country. Tapas for me is more than a meal. It’s a dining experience, heavy on olive oil, garlic and paprika, cured meats, olives, vibrant colours and fresh ingredients. It’s my favourite way to eat and never fails to take me to my happy place.
This selection of recipes is a treat guaranteed to wow your loved one. It’s an impressive array of 6 dishes plus dessert, all for under £20. I know it sounds a little daunting, but trust me – it’s easy. You’ll enjoy some delicious authentic tapas, and won’t be in the kitchen all night, allowing you to enjoy date night as much as your partner!
What you’ll need
Ready to start cooking? Grab your pots and pans, and follow along with the video or the recipe below.
Method
Dessert
I start with the dessert so we can get it set whilst we cook the tapas. Get 2 glasses (I used wide shallow tumblers).
First, we will make the caramel. Add the butter and sugar to a pan, and allow both to melt over a low/medium heat.
Stir in the double cream until it’s a lovely brown colour and beginning to bubble. We’re not really cooking it, just melting the ingredients together.
Once you have the caramel, turn off the heat, stir in the salt, and pour equal measures into your two glasses.
Place the glasses in the fridge or freezer to set.
Place the chocolate in a bowl and add the sugar and cream to a pan on a medium heat. We just need to dissolve the sugar and bring the cream to a boil.
As soon as the cream has boiled take it off the heat and pour onto the chocolate. Mix together until it forms a shiny smooth chocolate sauce.
Take the glasses from the fridge/freezer and pour the chocolate on top of the caramel in equal measures.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of hazelnuts onto the chocolate in each glass and place in the fridge to set.
Remove from the fridge when you serve the tapas to allow to get to room temperature before you eat.
Cold Tapas
Arrange your ham nicely on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil, or a flavoured oil like chili or truffle if you have it, and sprinkle with black pepper.
Cut your tomatoes into slices, or in half if using cherry tomatoes and arrange on a plate. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
Put your olives in a bowl. If you have bought unmarinated olives maybe drizzle with some olive oil, add a few chopped herbs and some seasoning.
Put aside until the cooked tapas is ready or put out for you and your partner to graze on while you cook the remaining dishes.
Patatas Bravas
Make your aioli by mixing together the prepared ingredients in a bowl, cover and set aside.
For the Bravas sauce, place the paprika and oil in a pan and heat over a low heat for a minute or two.
Slowly stir in the flour until it makes a roux.
Gradually stir in the stock a little bit at a time, keeping the sauce to a medium thickness and a smooth consistency. When all the stock is incorporated into the sauce, take it off the heat and add the salt. Put aside.
Set your oven to 180C
Take an oven tray and place on the hob at a high heat and pour in enough oil for a 1cm covering of the tray.
Drain your potatoes, pat dry with kitchen roll and place in the oven tray. Give them a shake so they don’t stick.
Cook for 4-5 minutes. Keep them moving so they don’t stick to the tray. When they start to turn a slight golden colour, place in the oven for 10 minutes.
This leaves us enough time to finish the last 2 dishes. If the potatoes finish cooking whilst you are still preparing the next 2 dishes, open the door a touch, turn off the oven and allow to keep warm.
Steak
Make sure you have left your steak out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Put a frying pan on at a high heat. Cast iron is best, if you have one.
Rub some olive oil, salt and pepper into your steak before you place it into the hot pan.
For a medium rare steak, I cook the first side for 3 minutes until it gets a nice caramelized colour.
Then I flip it and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Take out of the pan and place on a board to rest for a further five minutes. While that rests, we will cook our final dish.
Gambas al ajillo
Get the oil in a pan at a medium/high temperature. Toss the prawns in the salt and paprika.
When the oil is up to temperature drop in the prawns and cook for 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes pour in the sherry and cook for another minute.
After 1 minute add the garlic and cook for one minute more.
Turn off the heat, add the chopped parsley.
Transfer into a bowl, serve with crusty bread for dipping into the delicious oil.
Finishing touches
Get the potatoes out the oven, place in a bowl. Warm through the bravas sauce, pour over the potatoes. Retrieve the aioli and pour over the bravas sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Slice the steak, transfer to a plate, sprinkle generously with sea salt, serve.
