#13 - Golden Fish and Chickpea Curry + Leek Ravioli with Chicken Butter Sauce
Welcome to the new and improved weekly newsletter! It started its life as a monthly venture, became fortnightly, and now will be dropping into your inboxes EVERY SINGLE WEEK! I just can’t get enough of it, clearly. You’ll get two recipes a week, plus a bumper special at the end of every month with some recommendations and musings chucked in there too.
Everyone I know seems to have been taken down by a cold in the last few weeks, myself included. I am writing this from my bed, all swaddled up in a duvet and clutching prescription strength nasal spray, very much wishing I had a big bowl of either of these lovely things in my lap to sustain me. If you too have the lurgy (or even if you don’t), I hope that these recipes bring a little joy x
Midweek Mood
Golden Fish and Chickpea Curry
I like my midweek dinners to feel indulgent and comforting, but they also need to contain a good amount of veg and protein to nourish me. This curry is a winner on all these fronts!
Buying ready-made curry paste takes so much of the labour out of a midweek meal, and ensures you can bring this dish together in about 20 minutes. Not all curry pastes are created equal, though. I would avoid supermarket own brand ones, and instead seek out ones sold in Asian supermarkets - the Mae Ploy one is my favourite.
Serves 4
For the curry:
1 yellow pepper
3 cloves of garlic
2cm knob of ginger
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ tbsp red curry paste (I like the Mae Ploy one)
400g coconut milk
1 large posh jar of chickpeas
400g cod loin (or whatever white fish you fancy)
1 tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp soft light brown sugar
1 lime
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
salt and vegetable oil
For the drizzle:
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp chilli powder
rice, to serve
Finely slice your yellow pepper.
Heat a large saute pan over a medium heat, and add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Get your pepper in the pan, and fry it for about 5 minutes, until it has softened and taken on a little colour.
Add another 1 tbsp of oil to the pan. Peel your garlic and ginger, then grate both into the pan. Add your turmeric and curry paste, and cook this out for about 4 minutes, or until the oil starts to separate out from the paste.
Pour in your coconut milk and 100ml water, then bring the mixture to a simmer.
Drain your jar of chickpeas, then pat them dry. Cut your fish into large chunks.
Add your chickpeas and fish to the pan, then bring it up to a boil. Turn it down to a gentle simmer, then pop a lid on the pan. Simmer it gently for 7 minutes.
Add 4 tbsp vegetable oil to a frying pan over a medium heat, then add your sesame seeds. Fry these for about 3 minutes, or until they have just started to turn golden. Remove the pan from the heat, then add your chilli powder. Give it a mix, then set it aside.
Once the time is up, add your fish sauce, lime juice and sugar to the pan. Gently mix it without breaking up the fish, then season it to taste with salt.
Serve your curry up with rice, dollops of yoghurt, a drizzle of your sesame chilli oil and fresh coriander.
A Bit Fancier
Leek Ravioli with Chicken Butter Sauce
Making fresh pasta is undoubtedly a labour of love, and can feel a little faffy at times, but the results you get make it worth every second. Once you are comfortable making it, I’m not sure there is a better meal to whip out when you are trying to impress someone. The first meal I ever made Cam was some roasted squash tortellini, and I think it did the job (we are getting married this summer!!).
It is not the time of year for a squash, so I’m showing you a different pasta entirely today. The filling is a really lovely spring-y number, which incidentally also makes a stunning dip, and the SAUCE is just heavenly. The dish as a whole seems to have taken on a load of British flavours (think pies, roast dinners), in a way that I find very comforting.
It may seem a little daunting, but here are my notes for making the best filled pasta possible: