36 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY February 9-15, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Are you thinking about cooking a Valentine’s special for your partner? You don’t need Spanish Fly (made from blister beetles), turtle eggs (desire-enhancers in Mexican folklore) or even absinthe (a wormwood-based sexual Green Fairy) to bring magic into the bedroom. In terms of aphrodisiacs, Monterey County has it all. The best thing is you can make a lovely, simple meal that includes at least a few locally-famous aphrodisiac foods, from abalone to artichoke— and enhance their power with other desire-increasing ingredients like honey, chocolate, basil and truffles. High in protein, low in fat, abalone is often mentioned on the list of best aphrodisiacs, mostly as an exotic curiosity presented next to the infamous oyster. Although it took white people forever to appreciate its soft tissue as a delicacy, abalone has long been popular in Chinese and Japanese communities in California and considered an aphrodisiac. In The Encyclopedia of Aphrodisiacs by Christian Rätsch (1998), one can find a piece of art from the end of the 18th century that shows “Japanese abalone divers in an erotic scene.” There we also read that “even if abalone does not contain any substances that stimulate lust, its appearance arouses every sense.” At any rate, the easiest method to cook abalone is to fry it with butter (two minutes each side), or pound it, bread it, sauté it and finish it with lemon juice (California style). Your go-to spices for the meal are: black pepper, nutmeg, turmeric, onion and cinnamon (all aphrodisiacs, but don’t put them all on your abalone, please). If you are not in the mood to play with abalone, feel free to base your meal on sweet potatoes, asparagus, carrots, avocado, tomatoes. These are all considered aphrodisiacs in at least one culture. There is no more sexually-charged fruit than the pomegranate, a seductive charm to which we owe the changing of seasons. A few pomegranate seeds cemented the reluctant marriage between the Greek king and queen of death, Hades and Persephone. The latter was tricked in eating some, which meant she would stay underground for a few months each year (hence the winter, or the summer drought). While the California pomegranate season is almost over, you can still find some in produce markets. Serve pomegranate seeds in a salad—spinach-based, with walnuts, if you are looking for good companions. Or use pomegranate to garnish whatever main dish you are making, or save it for dessert. Another local option is artichoke, which has a dramatic mythical history of love, betrayal and divinity. The artichoke was once considered a powerful aphrodisiac in France. According to Aphrodisiacs by Linda Luisa Dell (2015), street vendors in Paris supposedly used to call: “Artichokes! Artichokes! Heats the body and the spirit; heats the genitals.” Rumor has it that in the 16th century, European women were forbidden to eat artichokes as it might fill them with unladylike desires. In her book, Dell noted that Catherine de Medici was fond of artichokes. Also, “eating artichokes may directly produce euphoria; indirectly, this sense of pleasant relaxation encourages intercourse.” Whatever you do or don’t do after dinner, our recommendation is to steam your artichoke—after you prep it with the help of a YouTube video. Serve it with salted butter, mayo, cheese, garlic, lemon—in any combination. When it comes to dessert, strawberries, pomegranates and cherries lead the way. You can serve any of the above with chocolate, vanilla or cinnamon (all aphrodisiacs). Hot chocolate with cinnamon is an easy option (fresh milk warmed up and two bars of high-quality chocolate are required). If you are using dark chocolate, add honey (loosely based on The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge, published in 2007). A recipe for Merlot-poached peaches with vanilla and cinnamon from the same cookbook utilizes another major Monterey County crop—wine grapes. Bon appetit. First course Myths do not agree on how many pomegrante seeds Greek goddess Persephone actually had. At any case, after having four to six seeds, she belonged to Hades forever. Cookie Crafting…Oscar’s Playground is hosting a Valentine’s Day cookie decorating party on Sunday, Feb. 12. Decorate a set of cookies with help of Chef Phillippe Costa, who has appeared on The Food Network. For $45, decorate and take home a dozen festive cookies, and enjoy two non-alcoholic beverages and an afternoon of fun. Reserve a space at oscarsplayground. com. 685 Cannery Row #3, Monterey. 241-6616, oscarsplayground.com. Love, Lust and Libations… Celebrate sensuality all month long at Lucia Restaurant & Bar at the Bernardus Lodge & Spa. Every weekend through February the restaurant offers a specialty, four-course menu centered around dishes with aphrodisiacs like oysters and dark chocolate (for more on that, see story, left). On the spicy end of things, they also have a list of lusty libations like the Menage À Trois martini and Sex In The Vines Sangria. 415 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. 6583400, bernarduslodge.com. Beer O’Clock…Seaside’s Other Brother Beer Co. hosts a kickoff party for the 2023 edition of SF Beer Week from 5-10pm on Saturday, Feb. 11. A ticket gets you unlimited tasters of locally (and locally-ish) brewed beers— think Alvarado Street, Fruition Brewing, Pacifica Brewing, the Slough Brewing Collective and many more. Plus there’ll be music, merch and food by Ad Astra. 877 Broadway Ave., Seaside. 747-1106, otherbrotherbeer.com. Pull up a barstool…There’s a swanky new cocktail bar, lounge and restaurant in Salinas by the name of Altura. The spot is a California take on a classic Sicilian bistro—serving up thincrust pizzas and decadent pastas made with fresh local ingredients. There’s also a full bar and a lineup of craft cocktails. 66 W Alisal St., Salinas. 207-6266. TACO TIME…Business has been booming since opening day (Jan. 21) at Tacos El Jalisciense in Seaside. The location (1390 Fremont Blvd.) is owner Moises Llamas-Hernandez’s third local spot. He previously operated two others in Salinas, down to one after his lease expired last July after a 23-year run. “Our main goal is to serve authentic street tacos,” Llamas-Hernandez says. “It’s really hard to find that flavor elsewhere, even in Mexico.” By Jacqueline Weixel morsels Send a bite to eatanddrink@mcweekly.com “Artichokes! Heats the body and the spirit; heats the genitals.” Eat + DrinK Daniel Dreifuss Eats of Eden Monterey’s fields and waters abound in aphrodisiacs for a Valentine’s Day feast. By Agata Pop˛eda
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