This Newfoundland-inspired Valentine's dinner has your holiday plans sorted

In the past, I've been pretty suspicious of Valentine's Day.

The holiday seemed to revolve around spending money and making people feel bad. Objectively, it's one of the worst days to work at a restaurant. People are seated with a sort of forced romantic cheer and you're run off your feet trying to meet their unrealistic expectations.

Plus, it invites comparison. Social media feeds are chock-a-block with happy couples celebrating Valentine's Day. I also see the wastefulness of it all: cheesy heart-shaped boxes of chocolate that have been mass-produced and overpriced wilted roses that grocery stores will toss the next day.

No wonder some of us end up with a kind of bone-deep hatred of this mid-winter holiday.

That said, winter is harsh, and no winter has been as harsh as this one. I've kind of come around to the idea that a bit of break, a little celebration, isn't such a bad thing.

Consider what's in season as a starting point for your menu. In Newfoundland, it's not too much, but thanks to some local hydroponic growers like Living Water Farm, leafy greens and herbs are available across the Island year-round. I love their parsley.

Ingredients: 4 medium leeks ¼ cup of capers ¼ cup of green olives ¼ cup coarsely chopped dill, preferably from a local grower ¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley, preferably from a local grower 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar Newfoundland sea salt with juniper, to taste 5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more 3 oranges (I like to use different kinds of oranges)

Put a tiny bit of olive oil in a cast-iron pan. Throw leeks into a pan and let them get lovely and dark. This might take about 10 minutes. Now, smash olives using the side of your chef's knife and remove the pits. Toss those with your capers. Set aside in a medium bowl.

Now, cut leeks into rounds and add to bowl with olives and capers. Now toss in your dill, parsley, vinegar, a big pinch of salt, and 3 tablespoons of your oil. Remove the peel and pith from your oranges with a pairing knife. Slice your oranges into rounds. Season with juniper sea salt.

Assemble! I like to place the oranges on the bottom of the plate and heap everything else on top.

OK, the main course! If it's within your budget, I'd recommend supporting a local butcher shop. I live in St. John's, and I'm pretty partial to Waterwest and Halliday's.

If you don't have access to a local butcher shop, this recipe works for any meat you might have frozen in the freezer: moose, rabbit or beef.

Ingredients for your marinade: First, marinate your meat in this overnight. Also, I use alder pepper in this marinade. Locally, you can pick some up from Shawn Dawson of the Barking Kettle or make your own. You can also replace this ingredient with regular cracked black pepper.

2 tsp salt 1 cup red wine (nothing fancy) 8 garlic cloves, grated 2 sprigs of rosemary An herb sachet of alder or sprinkle some alder pepper onto your meat