Scan a few Valentine's Day menus and you'll know that lobster, champagne and chocolate are associated with romance. But throughout history we've attributed lust-inspiring properties to hundreds of foods including carrots, eggs and mustard.

Alison Ragusa, a personal chef and cooking teacher in Shadyside, has been fascinated by this topic since she received Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridges' "Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook" as a gift 10 years ago. She's continued to research the history of foods that were at times blacklisted and at other times honored for their power.

"Foods are aphrodisiacs because they're suggestive or because of some immediate physiological effect [they have] on you," explained Ms. Ragusa.

She is teaching a seminar on "the enchanting world of aphrodisiac cuisine" at the Pittsburgh Center for Complementary Health and Healing in Regent Square. The class, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16, costs $15 per person. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. For more information visit leaveittoalison.com. For her recipe for Aromatic Salmon in Heart-Shaped Parchment, go to post-gazette.com/food.

PG tested

Aphrodisiacs in this dish: Salmon, arugula, garlic, rosemary, tomato and wine.

-- China Millman

• 1 pound skinless salmon fillet, cut in half
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large handful baby arugula
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 large handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• Dry white wine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Make a parchment paper heart by folding a piece of parchment paper about 18 inches long in half and cutting out one lobe of the heart, starting at the bottom of the crease and cutting in a curve that stays as close as possible to the outer edge, while still looking like a heart. Repeat with another sheet so you have two hearts.

Open the parchment revealing the full heart shapes and place a piece of salmon on one side of each heart, close to the fold.

Drizzle each fillet with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roughly chop the arugula. Roughly chop the garlic and then chop both the arugula and garlic together, creating a rough pesto. Spread this pesto over each fillet and top with a sprig of rosemary. Add the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle a generous splash of white wine over each fillet.

Seal the hearts: Fold the other side over the salmon and beginning at the top of the lobe make narrow, overlapping folds along the edges to seal the parchment "packages.". Continue folding towards the tip of the heart and after the last fold twist the end and tuck it under. Make sure it is sealed well.

Place parchment packages on a baking tray and bake for 15 to 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets.

If you'd like, you can place the packages on a platter to serve, so that they form a heart. Open them tableside to best appreciate the burst of aromatics.

Serves 2.

-- Alison Ragusa