Looking to make a special meal for your sweetie next weekend?

Well there’s good news. Lido chef Serge Bottelli says it’s possible for a novice cook to make an impressive meal this Valentine’s Day — without slaving all day over the stove. “A Valentine’s meal should be special,” Mr Bottelli said. “It’s about a couple making an effort to be by themselves so the menu needs to represent that kind of cosiness.”

Restaurants tend to go all out with special Valentine’s dishes and drinks. Dining at home can be just as romantic.

According to Mr Bottelli, the first thing you need to know? You don’t need the whole day to cook.

“One easy thing to make is a baked salmon dish. It’s very simple to do,” he said.

“You don’t even need to have a frying pan. You coat one side of the fish with a porcini mushroom powder, then cook it in the oven with a nice sauce. You can also add carrots, seasoned with a little bit of curry to give it that little oriental, exotic twist.”

The great thing about salmon is it’s readily available at most grocery stores, Mr Bottelli said. The fish can be paired with different vegetables, such as brocollini (a more bitter version of broccoli) or zucchini.

The chef also suggested people consider kale. Named Vegetable of the Year in 2014, it’s great for health and offers a huge dose of bone-strengthening Vitamin K.

Creating an appetiser can also be simple. Mr Bottelli suggests taking some asparagus and throwing them on a lined baking sheet. Then just toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese and then bake until done.

Some have compared these to a healthy version of French fries.

If that doesn’t strike your fancy, try making an easy white bean and truffle soup the night before the big meal.

But be sure if using canned beans that you wash them properly to remove the slimy film, Mr Bottelli said.

And when it comes to the white truffle oil, use only a little.

“You can definitely put too much in,” Mr Bottelli said. “I would say use no more than half a teaspoon for the soup.”

For dessert he recommended marinated strawberries with short bread cookies.

“This is a recipe that a working person can do,” he said. “You clean the berries and cut them in four to six pieces and just add a little sugar, lemon juice and shredded mint and leave it there for five or ten minutes. “After that you will have some nice red juices coming out and then you just add the shortbread on top as a garnish.”

Mr Bottelli has been a chef for almost 40 years and believes that anyone can become a decent cook.

You might need to brush up on some basic culinary techniques, but once you have those down you can get more creative to make a dish your own.

“Cooking is very easy,” he said. “On one hand you need to have a basic understanding of things like how to bring ingredients to a boil and how to use olive oil or butter.

“But then you can go left or right and add your own personal touch.

“For instance here we create a basic marinara sauce with garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil, and from there we can use that to create dozens of different dishes.

“So know the basics, then you can experiment.”