Curried Fish Pie

Curried Fish Pie

Fish pie is great, no one can deny that. And curry, too, is an equally wonderful meal, fully inaugurated amongst the greats of British cuisine alongside a traditional recipe like fish pie. 

But there's something even better than curry or fish pie- and that's curried fish pie. 

When it's a cold, drizzly grey evening and you want the comfort of a delicious, steaming fish pie with that perfect bubbling golden top, but also crave the spice and rich flavours of a good old curry, this fusion of curry and fish pie is the perfect combination for all those cravings. 

I'll admit, I was uncertain as to whether I would like it, and whether it would be better than it's two counterparts. 

Well let me tell you I loved it. 

And my dad, fish-pie connoisseur extraordinaire, and self-confessed curry-lover, approved as well. Which is saying something, because usually he likes to stick to the authentic, traditional versions of things. I was amazed that the whole family loved it as much as I did and so I think that there's no doubt that you'll love it too. 

The fish is tender and perfectly cooked in a curry sauce lightly spiced with chilli, mustard seeds and fenugreek, lightened with lemon and ginger and deliciously coconutty, yet you also get a wonderful layer of comforting mash, with a perfectly crisped top and a spicy fried tempeh on top just to bring it to life. I served ours with peas and broad beans, because despite the lovely little cherry tomatoes and spinach cooked into the sauce, we always liked a bit of extra veg in our household. 

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

TEMPEH: 

• Groundnut or sunflower oil 
• 2 mixed colour chillies, finely sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced 
• 1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds 
• 2 small handfuls of curry leaves 

CURRY SAUCE: 

• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 heaped tsp turmeric 
• 1 1/2 tsp fenugreek 
• Grated thumb-sized piece of peeled ginger 
• 400ml tin of coconut milk 
• 200g fresh spinach 
• Zest & juice of 1/2 lemon 
• 4 tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped (or two handfuls of cherry tomatoes, quartered and roughly chopped)
• 500g in total of salmon, white fish (such as pollock, hake, cod) and smoked undyed fish (such as haddock)

MASH:

• 800g peeled potatoes
• Seasoning
• Dash of milk 
• Drizzle of olive oil 

Method: 

1. Boil the kettle with enough water to fill a large saucepan. Peel the potatoes and slice thinly before adding to the boiled in the saucepan, with a sprinkle of salt. Boil with the lid on for ten minutes, or until tender when tested with the tip of a knife. Drain and leave to steam dry. 
2. For the tempeh, put a tablespoon or two of groundnut oil in the smallest pan you have, on a low-medium head. Finely slice the chilli and garlic, then add to the oil with the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry for five minutes, ensuring everything stays submerged in the oil and that the garlic doesn't burn; lower the heat once the oil has actually gotten hot and is smoking. Add a few dashes of water if things look close to burning. 
3. Remove the tempeh from the heat while you finely chop the onions. Heat a large non-stick pan on a medium heat and add half of the tempeh from the small pan, with a drizzle of oil. Add the onions with the turmeric and fenugreek and let the spices toast off. Then add the ginger and cook until softened, adjusting the heat if necessary. 
4. Add the tin of coconut milk and the spinach, along with the lemon zest and juice. Leave to simmer and thicken. 
5. Meanwhile, add plenty of salt and pepper to the spuds and mash with a potato masher. Then add a drizzle of olive oil and a good glug of milk before mashing again until lovely and smooth. Set aside and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, 160 fan. 
6. Pour the thickened curry sauce into a high sided baking dish and leave to cook while you deseed and roughly chop the tomatoes. Season them and roughly scatter over the top. 
7. Cut the fish into large chunks and place on top of the tomatoes, pushing them down into the curry. 
8. Top with mashed potato, either piped on with a star nozzle or added in small spoonfuls and then smoothed out, before running a fork across the top so that it browns nicely. Pop the fish pie in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or for 30 minutes in a fan-assisted oven before grilling for a further five. 
9. Scatter the remaining tempeh on top and then leave to cool briefly before serving with peas and broad beans and a wedge of lemon.   

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's Curried Fish Pie 

Raspberry and Coconut Porridge With Mixed Berry Compote

Raspberry and Coconut Porridge 

With Mixed Berry Compote 

I feel no shame in saying that breakfast is possibly my favourite meal of the day, or at least it comes to lunchtime and sometimes I wish I could have a bowl of yoghurt and granola, or better yet a delicious bowl of porridge. 

I just love the innumerable variations and different combinations that are available to you a breakfast. I mean, who needs salad, or a bowl of soup, when the alternative includes raspberries? Or any berries, for that fact? ...Or even caramelised, charred pineapple... it's 18.00 and now I'm seriously craving some overnight oats topped with pineapple and passion fruit. 

What did I tell you? 

Anyway, breakfast is a great opportunity to not only get creative and try new, delicious things, but to also set yourself up for the day and give you a real boost of energy. They say you should breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper, and I don't think a king would have any qualms about accepting a comforting bowl of this healthy raspberry and coconut porridge. 

It's soaked overnight in water which makes the oats soft and plump (and more easily digested), then cooked slowly before you add coconut yoghurt and frozen raspberries so that it becomes deliciously silky, taking on a lovely pink tinge with bursts of berries marbled throughout. What's not to like? 

Raspberry and Coconut Porridge 

With Mixed Berry Compote  

Serves: 1

Time: 10 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 5-10 minutes

• (Plus overnight soaking) 

• 1/2 cup of oats (jumbo oats) 

• 200ml water 

• 50g frozen raspberries 

• 30g coconut yoghurt 

• Mixed Berry Compote (see below)

Method:

1. Soak the oats and 200ml water overnight
2. Put the oats in a pan over a medium heat and cook for 5-10 mins. 
3. Meanwhile, put about two handfuls of any berries you like in a small pan with a dash of boiling water and bring everything to a boil. Let the fruit burst and the juices come out, and then remove from the heat and set aside. 
4. Towards the end of the cooking time for the oats, or when they're cooked to your liking, add 40g frozen raspberries and 30g coconut yoghurt to the pan and allow to thaw and melt into the oats off the heat. 
5. Top with 10g more raspberries and a spoonful of berry compote and enjoy!

Recipe from Goodfood's Raspberry Coconut Porridge 

Gurkha Chicken Curry with Homemade Spicy Marinade

Gurkha Chicken Curry

With Homemade Spicy Marinade  

As I've mentioned before, my parents have unashamedly been having the same curry pretty much every Saturday
evening for the last nineteen years (which is also the entirety of my older sister's life). It's a chicken curry based on one of Madhur Jaffrey's recipes, called 'red pepper curry' in our house (given the 6 red peppers that make up most of the sauce). 

Now, I'm all for traditions, and know that my mum particularly loves red pepper curry (especially as she dreads fish Friday, despite being pleasantly surprised every time)... but  there comes a point when you can have too much of a good thing. Or perhaps just one too many red pepper curries. 

...I like mixing things up just that but more, and so having taken on the role of family menu organiser, and now head chef too, I've tried to sneak in a few different recipes in place of the revered Saturday night red pepper curry. Luckily, they've all also been curries so far (check out the easiest red pepper curry recipe, or my all time favourite Thai green curry), and Gurkha Chicken Curry was one I'd been hoping to try for a while. 

It's spiced, but not overly hot, if you know what I mean- deliciously aromatic but not burn-your-mouth spicy, and deeply flavoured. - And of course, it's a Jamie Oliver recipe and he's not once let us down in the many years we've trusted him, and the countless recipes of his that we've made. 

How could I resist? You won't be able to, either; it's relatively quick as the marinade does the work overnight, really packing in a huge amount of flavour (as yes, chicken can sometimes be bland), and then it bubbles away happily in the oven while you relax and get on with other things. 

Here's the recipe: 

Gurkha Chicken Curry

With Homemade Spicy Marinade  

Serves 4-6 

• 1 hour- plus overnight marinating 
• 10 mins prep; 10 mins cooking; 40 mins in the oven

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, (in medium-sized cubes)
• 1 large onion
• 2-3 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 2 cloves 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1-2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 fresh red chilli , optional
• 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper (in chunks) 

MARINADE:

• 5cm piece of ginger
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
• 250 ml fat-free natural yoghurt, plus extra to serve
• 1 lemon

Method: 

1. To make the marinade, peel and roughly slice the ginger, break up and peel the garlic clove, then add to a dry frying pan over a medium heat, along with the fennel seeds and whole cardamom pods. 
2. Heat for 1 minute to toast the spices and bring out the oils in them, then transfer to a pestle and mortar. Add the chilli powder to the pestle and mortar, with 1 pinch of sea salt (to act as an abrasive to help break everything down) and then pound into a rough paste. 
3. Tip the paste into a large bowl with the yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, and the chicken. Stir to coat evenly, then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. 
4. Peel and finely dice the onions. Chop the tomatoes into rough chunks. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds and bay. 
5. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 5 minutes on one side, or until a lovely, golden crust develops. 
6. Turn the chicken over and cook for a further 5, or until browned all over. Remove the chicken from the pan. 
7. Add any leftover marinade and then stir in the ground spices, then add the onion and tomatoes. Pour over 350ml of cold water, then bring to the boil.
8. Place in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, uncovered, so that the sauce thickens. (A few minutes before adding the chicken, I put 300g of basmati and wild rice in a pan of boiling water to cook for about 12 mins). 
9. After 20 mins or so, add the chicken in a layer on top and cook for 7-8 minutes more, or until the chicken is cooked through. 
10. Finely slice and sprinkle over the chilli (if using), and serve with the rice, or naan breads and a fresh green salad, if you like. 

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's Gurkha Chicken Curry with homemade marinade

Jammy Blueberry Breakfast Doughnuts

Jammy Blueberry Breakfast Doughnuts 

This breakfast is just perfect for the weekend, when you have that little bit of extra time and want to make something extra special and more importantly incredibly delicious, which has the bonus of being healthy and really balanced. 

The doughnuts are made with wholewheat flour and ground almonds, sweetened only with the natural sugar of dates and perfectly spiced with a pinch of cinnamon and lightened with a little lemon zest. Then they're simmered in boiling water, not deep fried, and finished in a fairly dry pan to crisp the edges but leave the insides deliciously soft and fluffy. - And of course, the best part, a huge handful of blueberries go into the pan at the end to creates wonderfully sticky glaze, finished with just a hint of honey to make the purple juices perfect and glossy. All you need after that is a spoonful of yoghurt, a little more zest and a some cinnamon to top it all off. 

Doesn't that sound perfect? 

I normally halve this recipe and make this for my mum and I on a Saturday every now and then, but I always save the mini centres of the doughnuts for my dad, who likes to sneak one after he's gone for a morning run. 

He claims he doesn't really like blueberries and yoghurt, but I've seen him scraping the pan for the last deliciously sticky bits. It's just that good. And so, quite rightly, I present to you the recipe for the perfect jammy blueberry breakfast doughnuts:

Ingredients:

• 100g Medjool dates
• 100g wholemeal self-raising flour 
• 100g self-raising flour , plus extra for dusting 
• 30g ground almonds
• 1 large free-range egg
• olive oil
• 320g blueberries
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• 4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
• ground cinnamon , optional

Method:

1. Tear the stones out of the dates and place the flesh in a food processor with the flours, ground almonds, egg, a tiny pinch of sea salt and 70ml of water. 
2. Blitz until combined and forming a ball of dough, then roughly knead on a clean flour-dusted surface for just 2 minutes. 
3. Roll out the dough 1.5cm thick, then use an 8cm cutter (or a pint glass) to cut out two rounds. Use a 3cm cutter (or the end of a clingfilm roll!) to cut a hole in the centre of each one, then use those centre bits and the remaining cut-offs of dough to roll it out again, repeating the process until you have four doughnuts in total.
4. Simmer the doughnuts in a large pan of gently boiling water for 5 minutes, very carefully turning them over halfway through. 
5. Place a large frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Drain the doughnuts well, then carefully transfer them to the frying pan to get golden for 10 minutes, turning regularly to build up a nice crust. 
6. Once looking good, add the blueberries to the pan, then drizzle over the honey. Jiggle and shake the pan over the heat for a couple of minutes, using a spoon to keep turning the doughnuts in all that lovely jammy blueberry juice. When it looks nice and shiny and the doughnuts are purple, either ripple the yoghurt through the pan and divide between your plates, or serve up the doughnuts and blueberries and add the yoghurt on top (I prefer mine not to melt into the doughnuts too much). Then finish with a sprinkling of cinnamon, and a little grating of lemon zest. 

Recipe from Jamie Oliver's jammy blueberry breakfast doughnuts 

Fruity Hot Cross Buns

Fruity Hot Cross Buns 

Since it's fast approaching Easter Sunday, i think it's fair to say that an Easter recipe is definitely a must. Necessary even. Or at least these delicious hot cross buns are, after a busy day and a lot of revision (or work if you're an actual adult with a real job, and not just a college student fretting about internal exams...). 

The smell of freshly baked bread is always the most perfect aroma to fill your kitchen, but combine that with the heady scent of sweet, dried fruits, candied citrus peel and an intoxicating combination of spices (if you're a cinnamon lover like me), and you've got something even better than plain old bread. You've got hot cross buns. Think fruit loaf on overload, with delicate spicing and the added benefit of having pre-portioned little buns of perfection, each with a sticky glaze and the bonus of having both the corners and centre. Because in my house everyone wants the corner slice of any bakes, but the soft, moist centre is pretty irresistible too. 

Eaten still warm, or even toasted until golden and spread with salted butter to offset their sweetness, these hot cross buns are perfect for Easter. You need these in your life right now, I'm pretty sure it's a medical requirement when spring rolls around and mid-April greets us with mounds of chocolate eggs and rabbits. Why not mix it up and make yourself something homemade and equally Easter-y? These hot cross buns are definitely worth the wait, and my dad, hot-cross-bun aficionado, will attest to their superiority over shop bought ones. 

Fruity Hot Cross Buns 

Makes 12

Prep 4 hours

Bake 20 Minutes

Ingredients: 

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10g salt
• 75g caster sugar
• 10g instant yeast
• 40g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 120ml warm full-fat milk
• 120ml cool water
• 150g sultanas
• 80g chopped mixed peel
• Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
• 1 dessert apple, cored and diced
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the crosses

• 75g plain flour
• 75ml water

For the glaze

• 75g apricot jam

Method:

1. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the butter, eggs, milk and half the water and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add the water, a little at a time, until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all the water, or you may need to add a little more – you want dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough.

2. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 5-10 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin.

3. When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size – at least 1 hour, but it’s fine to leave it for 2 or even 3 hours.

4. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and scatter the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest, apple and cinnamon on top. Knead in until evenly incorporated. Cover and leave to rise for a further hour.

5. Fold the dough inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out. Divide into 12 peices and roll into balls. Place, fairly close together, on 1 or 2 baking trays lined with baking parchment or silicone paper.

6. Put each tray inside a clean plastic bag and leave to rest for 1 hour, or until the dough is at least doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it lightly with your finger. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 220°C.

7. For the crosses, mix the flour and water to a paste. Using a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle, pipe crosses on the buns. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Warm the apricot jam with a splash of water, sieve and brush over the tops of the warm buns to glaze. Cool on a wire rack (if you can resist them). 

From Paul Hollywood's How To Bake