5 Aphrodisiacal Recipes to Spice Up Your Valentine's Day (2024)

Aphrodisiac: Chilies

serves 4

3–4 tablespoons dende or canola oil

6–8 dried African bird’s eye chilies

4 shallots, finely chopped

1 red or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

8 cloves of garlic, minced ½ cup white wine 1 cup fish or vegetable stock

2 (13½-ounce) cans coconut milk

handful of cilantro, finely chopped

salt, to taste

4 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded (see sidebar)

2–3 green onions, green and light green parts only, thinly sliced squeeze of lime juice

toasted crusty bread, for serving

Heat a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and chilies and sauté briefly (a minute or two to infuse the oil). Add shallots and bell pepper and a pinch of salt to draw out the moisture. When shallots are translucent (3 to 4 minutes), add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.

Add the white wine and reduce until it’s almost completely gone. Add the fish or vegetable stock, the coconut milk, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro. Bring up to a boil and lower to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half. Taste and adjust seasoning at this point.

Throw in the mussels and green onions. Bring temperature up to a simmer again, and cook covered for a few minutes, until mussels open. Mine took somewhere between 3 and 4 minutes—you don’t want to overcook.

Squeeze fresh lime juice over mussels, transfer to a bowl, and sprinkle remaining cilantro on top. Serve hot with big pieces of toasted, crusty bread.

Aphrodisiac: Saffron

serves 4

2–3 tablespoons canola oil

2½ pounds lamb shanks (approximately 2 shanks), room temperature

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon ground ginger

large pinch saffron

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

4 cups beef or chicken stock

1 tablespoon honey

2 cups butternut squash, cut into a ¾" dice

1½ cups Honeycrisp or Fuji apples, cut into a ¾" dice

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided

1½ teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, season the shanks generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and sear 2 to 3 minutes per side to develop a nice brown. Remove to a plate and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Add the onion and a bit of salt and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, saffron, and cinnamon and sauté for another 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. Nestle the lamb shanks back in the pot and add in the stock and the honey. Cover, bring up to a boil, and then place in the oven.

Cook for 2 hours and 15 minutes and then remove from the oven. Toss in the squash, apples, and half of the almonds. Cover and put back in the oven for the next 45 minutes to an hour. The meat should be spoonable, basically falling off the bone.

Serve hot, garnished with the remaining almonds and sesame seeds. This is great alongside couscous.

Aphrodisiac: Cinnamon

4–6 servings

½ cup chia seeds

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2¼ cups regular, low-fat, or almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

1½ cups mixed berries

In a medium bowl, add the chia and the cinnamon. Pour in the milk, whisking to make sure the chia doesn’t clump and the cinnamon mixes in thoroughly.

Add the vanilla and honey and whisk to combine. Chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Layer the pudding over the nuts and berries and top with both. Serve chilled.

Aphrodisiac: Chocolate

makes 2 dozen brigadeiros

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon light corn syrup

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1¼ teaspoons instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

3½ ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (approximately ¾ cup)

cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles or vermicelli, and/or

chocolate-covered espresso beans, for garnish

In a small, preferably nonstick pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sweetened condensed milk, salt, heavy cream, corn syrup, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. When the mixture starts to bubble, add the espresso powder, cocoa powder, and chopped chocolate and whisk to melt chocolate. Cook on medium-low for 10 to 15 minutes, whisking constantly. The mixture should just lightly bubble around the edges, so reduce the heat if it’s cooking too quickly.

When it’s ready, the mixture will pull away from the sides and slide around the bottom. Transfer to a metal bowl and don’t scrape the bottom of the pot. Let cool for 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature.

Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge.

Cool the mixture completely before rolling the brigadeiros. This will take likely between 3 and 4 hours. I actually took the bowl out after 2 hours and used a small, greased ice cream scoop to scoop out 24 equal mounds of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then, I put the mounds back into the fridge to firm up for another 20 minutes. The increased surface area makes it cool faster.

Make sure your hands are greased and roll the mixture into even-sized balls. Then, it is up to your imagination how to garnish. You can simply roll in cocoa powder or sprinkles. I garnished mine with chocolate vermicelli and a chocolate-covered espresso bean. I think little paper baking cups make them look adorable. These are best enjoyed at room temperature.

Aphrodisiac: Cardamom

serves 4

3 cups water

3 tbsps loose black tea (Assam, English Breakfast or whichever you like)

4 green cardamom pods, cracked

pinch saffron

4 tsps sugar (or to your taste level)

¾ cup whole milk

¾ cup evaporated milk

In a kettle or small saucepan, bring water up to a boil. Add black tea, cardamom, saffron and sugar and boil for 1 minute. You may have to adjust the amount of black tea depending on the strength of what you are using. I used an Assam tea here. Also, you can do sugar to taste if you prefer.

Add both milks and bring up to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes until the tea has thickened a bit. Be careful not to let it boil over!

Strain and serve immediately.