It was my year to cook Valentine’s Day dinner this year. Working web startup hours meant I couldn’t be as ambitious as in years past, but I tried to make up for it with creative presentation. And an artichoke theme(!).


The menu:

* A garden love plate, with avocado, red pepper hearts, cucumber and marinated artichoke hearts
* a 5-grain heart-shaped seeded bread with artichoke Kalamata olive hummus, an Italian spiced artichoke spread, and olives
* ravioli, stuffed with artichoke and ricotta, topped with a dab of rich basil pesto